


What's Left of You

by Crazyeight



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Permanent Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:09:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 91,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: Some wounds are physical, and some cut deeper than the soul. Adrift in the aftermath of battle, one must find a way to heal even those wounds that are permanent.





	1. Chapter 1

Lightning detonated with explosive force directly in front of Takato, flinging him backward and for an agonizingly long moment, his whole world shrank down to the sound of shrieking metal and brutal, _crushing_ pain that seared across his arm before both vanished into empty blackness. He floated in that void, helpless and unable to tell the passage of time until something snatched hold of him in midair, jarring him back into a waking world of violent colors and screaming. His screams, both from his mouth and from nerves set afire, raw and bleeding against the shining, white and gold fur of a bipedal fox.

"R-Renamon!" he gasped out through the pain that clutched hold of him tightly, knowing who caught him as they descended to the ground. He couldn't say anything else however, losing himself to the eruption of pain that threatened to overwhelm him once more. With an effort, he forced back the black spots that popped up across his vision and craned his head around. He was lying on the ground now amidst the ruins of the streets of Shinjuku, and Renamon knelt over him, setting down a small, red-colored, ball-shaped creature with ears that resembled bat-wings. The tuft of her fur was a bloody mess and her ice-blue eyes were focused on him with alarm as she spoke to him. Whatever she was saying, he didn't have time to dwell on as the massive, broken ruins of a knight's lance, still tall and proud, crashed down to Earth, burying them in a cloud of dust and debris, causing a spiderweb of cracks to splinter along the street. Renamon grabbed hold of the pair once more, her body tense and ready to spring into action to protect both Takato and the red-ball monster. Takato bit down a cry as the dust wafted over them, setting off new sparks of pain as they brushed against exposed nerves.

Something, he could tell, was _very_ wrong.

 _Guilmon…_ he thought, sitting up with an effort. _Something happened to us… W-What…?_

A gust of wind blew away the dust, revealing the towering, white and red lance, imbedded in the broken street, and as he watched in gaping horror, the lance burst apart into a shower of sparkling light.

 _Our data…_ he thought, his mind starting to feel oddly sluggish all of a sudden. _That's mine and Guilmon's… What happened?_

"You've been hurt," Renamon's voice broke through, and it took Takato a second to realize that he had spoken out loud. Clutching at his arm where it hurt, he looked at Renamon dazedly, a part of him for some reason not understanding what she was saying. He opened his mouth to ask, only to notice that something was amiss just off to his right.

His arm.

He stared blankly where his remaining hand was, slimed with red, clutching at the tattered remains of where his right arm used to be, reduced now to a bleeding mess with jagged, white bone poking out from behind strands of flesh hanging off the limb like refuse. Releasing his grip, he moved the stump, his eyes strangely fascinated by its almost alien appearance until he cringed upon its brushing up against the remnants of his sleeve. Gasping, he wavered where he sat, darkness once more bleeding across his vision, and his breathing became shallower and more ragged.

"G-Guilmon…?" he breathed shakily, panicking at the thought of his digimon partner's condition and he looked over frantically at the unconscious red ball – Gigimon, a form his partner took after using too much energy – counting his stumpy legs. All four turned up right where he expected them to be, and he relaxed, all the strength going out of him in one mad rush, leaving him a shaking mess.

"Oh, thank goodness…" he whispered, starting to sweat as he shook even more violently before falling forward. His vision blanked, and in the next moment, he saw Renamon carefully lowering him back to the ground, a scream tearing across the air in the distance.

"Try not to move," she urged. "Help is coming."

 _Help? For wha…?_ Takato's fading eyes fell on Renamon's blood-caked fur. _Oh… That's right. I'm hurt, aren't I?_

"S-Sorry for the mess," he mumbled apologetically, his eyes starting to become very heavy. Kami, he couldn't remember ever feeling this tired before. Not even for entrance exams.

_"Takato!"_

At the familiar voice, his eyes snapped back open and he turned his head toward it. Hurrying across the broken rubble and cracked street, a girl, roughly sixteen years of age with fiery red hair and frantic violet eyes, came running toward them, looking battered and rough around the edges. Her hair, normally done up in a ponytail, was undone and in disarray. Behind her followed others; a dark-skinned boy with a long-eared, cream-furred creature riding on his shoulder, all of whom also looked as though they had been through a fight. He smiled upon seeing them, relieved that they were okay. His friends, Rika, partner to Renamon, and Henry and Terriermon. They were good friends. The best he'd ever known next to Guilmon and very reliable. Whatever was going on, he could rest assured that everything was in good hands as long as they were around.

"Takato!" Rika shouted again as she dropped down to one knee next to him. He continued to smile goofily, feeling oddly lightheaded. He mumbled something even he couldn't understand and black began to bleed across his vision once more. He felt something jerk him, and he heard Rika's voice breaking across the dark, attempting to force it back. He drifted however, sinking below the shadows, but he could hear snatches of their voices, alarmed and full of fear.

"…ato! Stay with me! Don't…!"

"…gone into shock! Rika! Your belt! We need it to stop the bleeding!"

 _"…Kenta!_ Kami, where's Kenta?! Renamon! Find him and get him over here! If Takato dies…!"

Alarmed at the terror in their voices, Takato forced himself out of the darkness enveloping his eyes, his remaining hand grasping around until it finally fell on Rika's just as she finished tightening the belt around the makeshift tourniquet Henry improvised with the jacket of his high school uniform. Her eyes swung towards him, and all at once, the world felt to Takato that it had paused to take a breath. He struggled for something to say. His whole body shook and felt cold, and his brain felt like it had been stuffed with mud.

"Um…" he began, hoping for some kind of inspiration, but he just felt _so_ tired. He needed to say _something_ though!

"Are you all right?"

There. That felt about right…right? So why did she look so upset?

"T-Takato… Don't… Don't talk. You need… You need to…" Rika choked out, her voice nearly cracking in the process. Takato flinched as something damp _plopped_ down onto his face. Raindrops? She was crying? With a struggle, he forced on an awkward smile, his eyelids drooping once more. He squeezed Rika's hand comfortingly, and she all but crushed his in return, as if she were afraid he would slip out of her grasp.

With a final squeeze and a sigh, he slipped into the comfort of the darkness, Rika's eyes following after him.


	2. Chapter 2

Henry stood next to Rika, watching as Takato was loaded into the ambulance. His grey eyes glanced at her worriedly. The girl was, understandably, coiled with tension, her hands having been fixed into tight fists ever since the paramedics managed to pull her away from their friend, something that proved surprisingly difficult ever since their hands met. He watched her glare daggers as the ambulance staff, upon securing Takato, hurriedly took off, no doubt promising all manner of torment for them if they allowed _anything_ to happen to him on the way to the hospital.

He let out a heavy sigh as the ambulance disappeared around the corner, the whole weight of the day crashing down heavily on his shoulders.

"Do you… Do you think they'll be okay?" came the quavering voice of Kenta as he approached from behind, cradling a battered, still unconscious MarineAngemon in his arms. Takato hadn't been the only one to be injured today from all the fighting. Kazu's leg had been broken as well, and even the mighty Ryo Akiyama suffered a nasty head wound that required numerous stitches. It was nothing short of a miracle that _any_ of them had gotten away unscathed.

"We can only hope," Henry replied, turning toward the bespectacled boy, noting that his glasses were missing a lens and the remaining one was cracked.

"We wouldn't _need_ to hope if a certain _someone_ had hung back like he was told," Rika growled under her breath. Kenta flinched, as if struck, and Henry turned a hard look at the fire-haired girl.

"Rika…" he began warningly, and Renamon materialized next to her, the still unconscious Gigimon nestled into the corner of her arm, her fur still disheveled, and stained from Takato's blood. The vulpine digimon placed a paw on the girl's shoulder and something seemed to pass between them, for a moment later, Rika's shoulders sagged and her fists loosened.

"Sorry," she whispered exhaustedly, her voice cracking a little.

"I'm sorry too," Kenta said softly. A pall of silence fell over the remaining group, no one seeming to know what else to say or do, but rather remained rooted to where they stood.

The clinking sound of a lighter flicking open and closed reached their ears, and as one the three teens turned to find a man approaching them, blond-haired, though now salted with grey, his expression hard and as unreadable as stone. Henry nodded to him while Rika narrowed her eyes darkly.

"So…how's that for a job well done?" asked Terriermon sarcastically from his place on Henry's shoulder. "I think we only managed to save the city from being made flat as a pancake. I mean, it could be better but at least there's rubble."

"Terriermon…" Henry sighed, wishing, and not for the first time, that his partner would understand the definition of the word _tact._

Yamaki snapped his lighter open with an extra hard flick, frowning slightly.

"The situation is stable now," he said. "Though I doubt the public will see it that way, all things considered, given the considerable, damage caused by the fighting…"

"Gee, like we didn't _notice_ with all the buildings falling on top of us,"Rika snarled, folding her arms together. Henry shot another look at her, but she held steady with her gaze, challenging Yamaki to discipline her for her defiant attitude. Yamaki simply eyed her dispassionately, long used to her behavior.

_And likely giving her leeway because of what happened with our friends, Takato especially,_ Henry thought. _None of us are really in a_ calm _mood right now…_

Thinking of Takato lying on the ground, the tattered remains of his arm bleeding everywhere while his face grew pale made Henry pull his hands into tight fists. He felt a tremor work its way along his arms and he took a deep breath to still his mind. For a wonder, it worked.

For now, anyway.

Yamaki flicked his lighter open before nodding to them. "You kids did the best you could, considering the circumstances. I don't think anyone at Hypnos will dispute that, and I am grateful for your assistance. That said, the incident with Takato Matsuki isn't going to look good for the Tamer program and you need to be aware of that."

"I'd hardly call him saving the day an _incident,"_ Rika seethed, her fingers digging into her arms. Henry caught a flash of light in her eyes, and for a second, he thought she was about to tear into Yamaki and try to belt him. Instinctively, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and found himself nearly recoiling in surprise, feeling the raw, steel-like tension that lay just beneath the surface.

"Ah… Will he be okay?" Kenta asked, sensing that it would be a good idea to intercede now. "Is there anything we can do?"

"For now, no," Yamaki shook his head, flicking his lighter closed. "Takato's in the hospital's hands now, and we've already taken the opportunity to inform his parents as well as the others about the situation with their children and are making transportation arrangements for them. Until we know more, there's not much else that can be done."

Reaching up, he took his sunglasses off and fixed each of them with a surprisingly sympathetic look. Henry tried to imagine how they must have looked, dirty and roughed up as they were. It struck him as to how often in their career as Tamers they came out of fights looking a little worn around the edges.

_Nothing's ever been this bad though,_ he thought, feeling his nails bite into the palms of his hands. _That digimon that bio-emerged…_

"My _advice_ for you all is to go home, get cleaned up and get some rest," Yamaki continued, flicking his lighter open more softly. "The days ahead are going to be hard and you'll all need to be at your best for them."

Kenta drew his unconscious, pink-fairy partner all the more tightly to him. Henry watched him for a moment, guessing what was going through his mind. While MarineAngemon couldn't regrow Takato's lost limb, unlike Kazu and Ryo he could certainly help speed along his recovery.

_At least once he regains consciousness,_ the half-Chinese Tamer thought before turning his attention to Yamaki.

"Is there a chance that you can convince the doctors to let Kenta and MarineAngemon work their magic on Takato?" he asked the head of Hypnos. "He's already at the Mega level, so there's very little chance that he'll disrupt any electrical equipment there."

Yamaki furrowed his brow in thought. "I'll confer with the hospital he'll be staying at. Until then, you should all see to yourselves."

With nothing more to be said, Yamaki nodded to them and headed off, leaving Kenta looking as though he were about to cry with relief at being offered an _opportunity_ to help their injured friend.

"T-Thanks…" he stammered out to Henry, who offered him a comforting smile.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, while Terriermon proceeded to climb atop his head.

"You might want to get some new glasses first though," the long-eared, cream-furred dog-bunny advised, settling himself. "Your current ones look a _little_ bit beat up."

"I-I've got a spare set at home," Kenta nodded, sniffing loudly and messily. "Oh man… This… Today… _Kami,_ today is just…just messed up!"

"That's putting it mildly," Terriermon agreed, massaging a bruised, roughed up ear, looking off in the direction that the ambulance had gone before settling on Rika and Renamon, the latter of whom was now cradling the still unconscious Gigimon, gently stroking his side. "So… Who's going to give him the bad news?"

"Might as well be me," Rika said, turning away. "I've…got to break it to Jeri anyway. She's…"

The fire-haired girl trailed off as she also cast her eyes off in the direction the ambulance went in. Seeing this, Henry's eyes softened.

"Rika… It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. It comes with the job and this…is just how the cards fell this time around. You know that, right?"

"Of _course,_ I know that!" Rika snapped angrily, her violet eyes blazing fiercely as she spun around on him, and for the first time he saw them shimmering and damp from emotion she was just barely keeping in check. Seeing him notice, she narrowed her eyes dangerously and a single tear slipped free, tracing a path down her face. "Go ahead and laugh," she said in a low, menacing voice, her fists trembling violently.

"Rika…" piped in Terriermon, still laying atop Henry's head. _"I_ wouldn't even laugh about this. You know that, so momentai why don't you? We're all friends here."

Rika looked as though she were about to say something to Terriermon, but she abruptly jerked and looked over at Renamon, who shook her head at her.

"Look," Henry sighed. "Yamaki's right. We're all pretty out of it right now. Let's just…go home and get our heads on straight. We can attack this later. I know that's asking for a _lot_ right now, but…" He paused, weighing his next words carefully. "…it's really all we can do right now."

"I'm _not_ staying home for very long," Rika growled, wiping a fist across her face to remove the offending tear from her visage. "First chance I get I'm going to the hospital."

"He's going to be in surgery for a while you know," Kenta pointed out, earning him another sharp, angry look from Rika that caused him to flinch before she turned a challenging glare at Henry, who, for his part simply shrugged. At this point there wouldn't be any stopping her, and frankly, he couldn't think of any solid way _to_ stop her. Or even a reason for that matter.

"We'll see you later," he said. "If you get there before any of us do, give us a call and let us know if you learn anything new about how Takato or the others are doing."

"Sure," Rika nodded stiffly before finally breaking away, only to pause a second later to look at Gigimon, who remained snuggled safely in Renamon's arms. Her expression softened and she looked up at Renamon meaningfully. Not for the first time did Henry get the feeling that the two of them were speaking to one another without exchanging words, and a moment later, as if on some unspoken agreement, Renamon moved closer to her human partner, passing Gigimon into her arms. Rika drew him close, tears flowing more freely now, and she stood there for a moment longer, simply holding the tiny digimon before quickly turning away, once more resuming her trek, stroking the ears of Takato's partner comfortingly. After a moment, she broke into a run and disappeared around a corner, Renamon quickly vanishing along with her.

"I…guess I'll see you later, huh?" Kenta asked quietly, still remaining rooted to the ground. Henry looked at him before nodding.

"Yeah…" he said simply, not sure what else there was to say. Feeling as though he should have something more to say, he added, "Stay in touch."

He heard Kenta say something in response, but he missed it as he started off, already losing himself in the fog of his mind.

**###**

Renamon followed Rika as she ran through the broken city streets, keeping some distance to allow the girl some time to disentangle her thoughts and feelings, doing much the same for herself as well, finding that it was much needed after the day's events. Landing upon a rooftop, she closed her eyes, and almost immediately, images of Takato's injured state flashed through her mind, leaving her feeling, for a moment, the memory of his blood clotting her fur once more and she glanced down at herself. She shuddered involuntarily. She wasn't unfamiliar with the substance. Rika and each of her friends received numerous injuries over the years in the forms of scraped knees and the like, and digimon also bled after a fashion, a kind of _programmed mimicry_ of the human world's nature. Even so, she had been shocked by the sheer amount of it and how detrimental its loss had been to their comrade.

_It was…so warm as well,_ she thought, bringing one paw to rest on the tuft of her fur and feeling the tangle of caked fur. Opening her eyes, she trailed Rika as she lost herself behind the tree line of Shinjuku Park and Renamon leapt into the air, teleporting directly behind her. She looked at her partner's back as the girl began to slow down, panting heavily, her body shaking. She suddenly became aware of how that warmth, so similar to Takato's, lay just beneath the surface of Rika's skin, and just how fragile humans truly were.

_I have always been aware of this before,_ she thought. _But it…feels as though I never truly was. Rika… How do you humans live, knowing how fragile you are?_

Her ear twitched, catching wind of noise from her partner, and it took her a moment to realize that Rika was doing her best to cry as quietly as she could, her breath coming out in jagged heaving. Approaching her, she laid a paw on her shoulder, her tail flicking about her comfortingly.

"Rika?"

"I'm…I'm fine," Rika said, her tone insistent, though it was clear to Renamon that she was anything but. "I just…need to catch my breath."

Renamon gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.

"Would you like for me to take you the rest of the way home? It won't be any trouble, I assure you."

"No." Rika shook her head. "I…I need to think. Clear my head before I meet Mom and Grandma. And…And I don't want you to waste your energy. Not after all that. I…"

Shuddering again, Rika sniffed and took a moment to adjust her grip on Gigimon, tucking him under her chin and rocking him softly against her. As she watched, Renamon saw Gigimon respond to this, his face tightening up before settling down, ears twitching and then stilling. Nodding to herself at this, the fire-haired girl resumed walking, and Renamon watched her go, and after a moment, she heard Rika begin humming quietly to the tiny, crimson digimon. It was a slow, melancholic tune, and Renamon's expression softened ever so slightly.

_I think…I understand you humans a little better now…_ she thought before vanishing once more into thin air, continuing to maintain her vigil over the two from a respectful distance.

**###**

Henry arrived at his family's apartment, finding it empty save for their belongings. He wasn't surprised, as the military had given the evacuation order at the first alert from Hypnos. Closing the door behind him, he took off his shoes and padded into the kitchen and over to the refrigerator, his expression dull and exhausted. Opening the fridge, he found the tray of sealed manju buns his mother had made just before the digimon's bio-emergence, a note taped to the top, its message surrounded with hearts.

_For when you come home,_ it read. Feeling tears well up in his eyes, Henry wiped at his face, clamping down on the rising torrent of emotion.

"You've been quiet," he said to his partner, pulling out the manju buns and a can of soda, passing the former to his partner as the long-eared rabbit-dog hopped off his head and onto the kitchen counter.

"Talking felt kind of inappropriate," he replied, pulling off the plastic wrapping. "I know, imagine that. But besides… I don't even know _what_ to say."

"Yeah," Henry agreed, looking out the window of the apartment where, off in the distance, large plumes of black smoke rose into the sky like a locomotive cutting across the city. "Me neither."

He stood there, transfixed by the sight. It was easy to follow the trail of devastation, a straight scar that ran the length of the city's horizon, though their homes remained, fortunately, safely distant from it all. Taking a manju bun, he moved to bite into it, only to pause when he saw his hand shaking. Clenching his eyes shut, he grabbed hold of his wrist, willing it to still, and for a wonder it did.

Terriermon wawtched all of this with concerned, dark eyes.

"You want to talk about what happened, Henry?"

Henry forced himself to take a bite from the manju bun, barely registering its taste. Seconds passed in silence until, finally, Terriermon bit into his own manju before striking up the chords of conversation.

"Fine, if you won't, then I will. Today was messed up, but we made it. We saved the city and probably the whole planet once again."

"At least there's a silver lining in all of this."

"Hey, Takato's alive so far, _Rika,"_ Terriermon quipped. "That's a pretty good silver lining. I'm just…" He stuffed the rest of the manju bun into his mouth and swallowed it in one, big gulp. "I don't know. I'm just being honest. You know how I am. No tact."

Henry nodded in agreement at that, his eyes falling on the fridge's door, landscape his little sister's drawings had invaded over the years with steadily increasing improvement. His fingers tightened on the manju still in his hand, nearly crushing it.

"Henry?" Terriermon asked, seeing this. "I know it's hard, but…can't you talk to me about something? It's not good for either of us if you bottle things up like you did when we first became partners."

Forcing his grip to relax, Henry took a deep, shuddering breath. "I…know. I was just thinking. Thinking about earlier. When Rika and I were tying off Takato's arm, all I could think about was that…at least Suzie wasn't here. That she was off seeing our grandparents in Hong Kong. I… I…"

Suddenly the shakes returned, this time worse than before, and they quickly spread across his entire body. Dropping the manju, Henry grabbed the edge of the counter to steady himself, breathing heavily in short, deep, rapid bursts. Hot tears sprang to life in his eyes and spilled down his face. Seeing this, Terriermon quickly leapt onto his partner's shoulder, wrapping his long, arm-like ears about him and hugging him tight.

"Whoa! Henry! Come on! Momentai! It's all right!"

"It's _not_ all right!" Henry exploded with a gasp, slamming a fist on the counter. "It's all my fault! If I hadn't…!"

"Hey! _Hey!"_ Tightening his grip, Terriermon swung himself about and jumped over onto the table directly in front of the half-Chinese teen. "What was it you said to Rika earlier?"

The diminutive dog-bunny digimon planted his tiny paws on his round, doughy hips in an authoritative manner and huffed loudly. Henry just shook his head in clear defiance of his partner's attempt to keep him from beating up on himself.

"But I…" he began, only for Terriermon to quickly cut over him, not having it.

_"You_ said it's _no one's_ fault! It's just how the cards played out! We got taken down and Takato jumped in and took our place in the plan because the opportunity was there and we were getting our butts kicked! Any one of us would have done the same, he just happened to be faster and still biomerged!"

Terriermon held Henry's eyes until, finally, the teen looked away, shame burning on his face.

"I know you're right. I just…can't help feeling responsible."

"I get that, but momentai already. Feeling responsible is Takato's job, not yours. He doesn't need two arms for that anyway."

_"Terriermon!"_

_"Finally,_ something other than you feeling sorry for yourself," Terriermon replied, shaking his head. "You know it's not going to do any good. Take Yamaki's advice and go catch a nap, okay?"

"Not until I've talked to my parents at least," Henry sighed, wandering over to the cordless phone and picking it up off the hook. "I've got to at least let Mom know that the danger's over."

"All right, but after that, it's bed-bye time for you, got it? I know you. You'll overdo it if you don't take a break."

Henry said nothing in response as he went over to the couch in front of the window overlooking Shinjuku, the sun setting behind the cloud of billowing black smoke. Terriermon watched him plop down on it before returning to devouring manju buns. It was on his third one that he realized that he hadn't heard anything from Henry since he went to make his calls. Curious, he hopped down and made his way over to the couch, finding him slumped over on the cushions, passed out, the phone still in his hand with the dial tone humming from the earpiece.

"Henry?" Terriermon asked worriedly, jumping onto the couch and poking him with an ear. Henry groaned and shifted, but otherwise did not awaken from his slumber. Pressing an ear to the teen's forehead to take his temperature, Terriermon sighed.

"Out like a light, huh? Well, it _was_ a pretty rough day."

Reaching out with the hand-like appendages on his ears, he lifted up a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over his partner before collecting the phone.

"Momentai, Henry," he said, deciding to call the boy's parents for him, already dialing the number to Mayumi's cellphone. "Momentai."

**###**

Jeri Katou's hair bounced on the edges of her shoulders as she hurried along the streets of Setagaya, having bid her friends from her school goodbye after a hard day of hanging out and was now eager to hurry up and get home. Taking out her cell phone – a relatively inexpensive flip phone Rika helped her pick out a year ago – she checked for messages. Her conversation with Rika earlier in the day had been interrupted by the bio-emergence of a Wild One, but she promised they would pick things back up after she and the others wrapped things up.

That had been over an hour ago.

_Why do I feel like something's not right?_ she wondered, wishing she could check for news on her phone. Uncertain as to whether or not she should try bothering her friends at this point, given the likelihood that they were being debriefed by Yamaki, she opted to wait a little bit longer to give everyone a chance to settle down. Battling wild digimon, she knew, was not something from which a person could just get into and then return to normal life as though nothing had happened. Still, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was off.

_I'm sure I'm just being silly,_ she thought, approaching her home, a tavern, just like her old home had been back in Shibuya before her father made the decision to move, following the Parasimon invasion three years ago. Slipping in through the side door, she found her stepmother – Shizue – in the kitchen, preparing dinner, the sound of the news echoing from the old television sitting on the counter. Pausing, Jeri listened carefully and decided to join her.

"I'm home," she greeted cheerfully, and Shizue turned around, her expression pensive, something that caused Jeri to tilt her head to one side in concern.

"Jeri! I…" Relaxing, the woman approached her and took hold of the girl into her arms. Jeri felt a momentary stiffening of her body against her stepmother – a relic from when she was younger – before returning the hug.

"Is everything all right?" she asked after a moment. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Drawing back, the round-faced woman wiped at her eyes. "Well… I've been listening to the news. There was another digimon attack in Shinjuku. A bad one." Turning to the television, she raised the volume for her stepdaughter and urged Jeri to get closer so she could hear properly. Jeri felt her hand come to rest on her shoulder, her grip tense, but loving, as though she were trying to lend her some support. What Jeri heard next made her heart pause in its beat as her blood ran cold.

_"…twenty dead and fifty injured so far in what is described as the_ worst _digital attack since the Parasimon invasion from three years ago,"_ the reporter said. _"Of the Tamers who fought the rampaging digimon, three were injured and one of them remains in critical condition. We'll continue to report as the situation continues to develop…"_

Turning down the volume, Shizue turned Jeri around and pulled her into a tight hug. Jeri blinked, tears burning at the corners of her eyes. Three of her friends were hurt? One of them badly? How bad? Questions and emotions poured in and she clenched her eyes shut, allowing a tear to spill out as she returned her stepmother's hug.

"I…I need to make a call," she whispered, and the woman tightened her grip around her before nodding. "I need to find out what happened."

"Let me know what you want to do afterward, and I'll do my best to help," she replied, pulling away. Nodding her thanks, Jeri hurried out of the kitchen, Jeri whipped out her cellphone and immediately pulled up Rika's number. Before she could hit the call button, her phone buzzed, the very same person in question having, true to form, beat her to the punch.

"R-Rika!" she exclaimed as she hit the reply button. "I just saw the news! What happened? Who's been hurt? Are you all right?"

_"Kazu, Ryo and…Takato,"_ came the girl's voice on the other end, sounding thick with exhaustion and hesitancy. _"Jeri. You're going to need to sit down for this one. Takato… He's… Kami… There's no right way to say this. Jeri, he's lost his arm."_

Jeri felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and she grabbed hold of the wall to steady herself. _Lost… Lost his arm? Takato…_ She felt her heart clench painfully as black spots formed along her vision. Shaking her head, she willed them to disappear. This was _not_ the time for such things. She _needed_ to be strong!

Drawing her hand into a tight fist, her eyes becoming firm. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.

"What hospital is he staying at?" she asked fervently.

**###**

Rika set her cellphone down on her table and leaned forward, taking slow, deep breaths. In spite of her attempts to settle herself, it just didn't happen. Her muscles remained tense and tight, and in the darkness of her mind, she still saw her friend, lying there amidst his own blood, growing pale. And somehow, through it all, he still managed to find the strength to smile at her.

_Stupid…_ Gogglehead! she thought bitterly, her eyes brimming with tears once more. She wiped at them furiously, angry that she never seemed to have an end of them. _Did you even_ know _you were dying?_

She curled her hands into tight fists at that thought, hating it and hating herself for thinking it. Takato _wasn't_ dying! They saved him, and now he was at the hospital getting patched up. Doctors fixed things like this all the time, didn't they? Why should this time be any different?

"Rika?" came the voice of Seiko from behind her, causing the girl to jump in surprise and spin around. The greying woman looked at her apologetically and approached.

"I just got off the phone with Jeri. She's on her way over." She sniffed. "How's Gigimon?"

"Still sleeping," Seiko replied, placing a hand on her shoulder, massaging it. "Renamon just got out of the shower. You should probably go in there and get cleaned up before your friend gets here."

"There's lots of time," Rika snorted, but she nodded her agreement and got to her feet. Pausing at the door of her room, she placed a hand on the frame.

"Grandma?"

"Yes, Rika?"

Rika's mouth trembled, and her face appeared as though she were wrestling with her emotions, and after one, long minute, she shook her head.

"Nothing. Never mind."

"Rika? If you ever want to talk about what happened…"

"I know, Grandma." Rika closed her eyes, her stomach wrenching as she spoke. "Just…not now."

With that said, she padded down the hallway, passing the room where Gigimon was currently resting in, finding him curled up amongst a sea of blankets with Renamon standing watch over him, her fur a bit in disarray as she continued to dry herself off, but otherwise _vastly_ cleaner than she had been earlier. That made Rika feel a little bit better, seeing her more back to normal. Not a whole lot, but a little. The kitsune nodded to her as she passed, and Rika did so in return before arriving at her destination. Sliding the door closed behind her, she leaned her head against it, feeling the warmth of Renamon's shower still lingering in the air, her skin prickling in response. Rolling her head over to one side, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked…better than she envisioned herself to be. Dirty for the most part, and her hair continued to be in disarray, but otherwise fine. She swallowed and closed her eyes to the sight.

_Takato…_

Slowly, ever so slowly, she slid down to the floor and drew one knee up to her face as she wrapped her arms about her leg, hugging it close. Once more the tears came, but this time there was no stopping or hiding them. Shaking, she kept her voice as quiet as possible as all the pent-up tension came out of her in one unstoppable flood. Her vision vanished beneath the waves of her pain and was soon replaced once more by that of her friend, continuing to smile up at her as he asked her if she were all right.

_What…What were you doing, asking me that when you were hurt like that? W-Why…? Oh, kami… Takato…!_

She let out an anguished cry and struck a fist on the floor _hard._ It hurt, but she ignored it. It was, after all, nothing compared to what her friend was feeling.

_Jeri… I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep my promise…_


	3. Chapter 3

Rika leaned against a pillar in Shinjuku station, distractedly checking her phone for messages that would update her regarding Takato's condition. She felt a sting of irritation upon finding nothing but the last message she received from Yamaki, informing her that Takato was entering into surgery, which had been nearly an hour ago. A part of her understood that the procedure would take time, but her heart was impatient with all the waiting. As she glared angrily at her phone, she let out a low yawn and shook her head. Next to her, a red-haired girl wearing a black-leather jacket glanced at her with clear, blue eyes and an expression that appeared dispassionate at first sight, but Rika knew from long experience contained concern. Peaking out from underneath the back of the jacket was a small, yellow fox tail, and it flipped anxiously.

"Rika?" the 'girl' began. "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy, Renamon," Rika grumbled in return. "Just like the last time you asked."

The girl – her fox-digimon partner using one of her trademark abilities to disguise herself – tilted her head to one side, her straight hair swishing against her the edges of her shoulders.

"You should have stayed home and rested," she admonished, causing Rika's violet eyes to frown.

"We've been over this…"

"I know, but I do feel that it's important to bring it up. The longer you put off resting, the harder the cost to yourself."

"Jeri will be here shortly," Rika grunted, looking at the time. "A little _late_ for a nap."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Renamon… _Please._ I _don't_ want to talk about this. I've got too much on my mind to…"

The girl found herself interrupted as her mouth stretched open and forced a yawn from her. Growling, she shook her head.

"Why don't you just close your eyes?" Renamon asked, folding her arms together. "I can keep an eye on things and wake you up once Jeri arrives?"

"Yeah? And what about you? What if a digimon bio-emerges?"

"Then at least you'll be rested," the kitsune replied, a ghost of a smile curving on her thin, human lips. "Unlike you, I can have my energy levels and stamina modified, and if you're rested, you can lend me additional energy when we're biomerged."

"Leave it to you to always make sense," Rika sighed, her eyelids slipping shut for a moment before she forced them open. "But this is a bad time. Sorry, but I can't just…"

"…sit and relax while you're waiting for news," Renamon finished for her. Rika gave her a hard look.

"If you already know, so why do you keep bugging me about resting?"

"Because you'd ignore it otherwise," Renamon replied simply. "You're my 'sister,' after all. I think it would be in poor taste of me to ignore your health."

Rika's expression softened and she looked away, her face blooming lightly with shame.

"Sorry."

"Don't be," Renamon said, giving the teen an understanding smile. "We all show concern in our own ways. Mine is to remind you of things you ignore about yourself."

"If Guilmon were here and conscious, he'd probably say that you're always right, and I happen to agree with him." Closing her eyes, Rika leaned her head against the pillar and slowly slid her way down to the floor. "Just…Just a few minutes then. Not a minute longer. Jeri will be here soon.

"I'll keep watch," Renamon replied, looking about her. Through the kitsune's connection with her human partner, she felt the girl slip into the oblivion of sleep, reluctantly, but swiftly in spite of her best efforts. She breathed a sigh of relief and craned her head, spotting a familiar, brown-haired girl making her way through the crowd, her amber eyes seeking about her before spotting them. Alone, she noted with curiosity, spotting the odd absence of Calumon, but she brushed it aside for the time being. Raising one finger to her lips in a _shushing_ sound, she indicated the sleeping girl next to her. Nodding in understanding, Jeri approached and bowed politely.

"It's good to see you again, Renamon," she greeted, looking at Rika's sleeping form with concern before returning her attention to the kitsune, her expression clearly indicating that she wished their meeting were under more pleasant circumstances. "Your _kohenkyo_ is looking a lot better since the last time I saw you."

_She's trying to keep in control of herself,_ Renamon thought, making a note of how Jeri's hand rubbed her wrist where, once upon a time in her youth, a sock puppet rode, a substitute for her _true_ voice. _She doesn't want to risk breaking down this early, so she's leading with small talk._

Renamon could understand needing to buy oneself a few precious moments to gain strength.

"Only because I am keeping my tail covered with a jacket," Renamon replied, causing Jeri's eyes to widen.

"Wow… You even _sound_ like Rika."

"I thought it would help make my cover story about being Rika's 'long-lost sister' much more believable when we're out together in public. There's more to a story than just physical appearances after all, and I believe my natural voice would be something of a giveaway as to my real nature."

"Well, you always know what's best." Grinding the toe of her shoe against the floor, Jeri suddenly became more anxious looking. "Um… Renamon…?"

"There hasn't been any further news other than Takato has gone into surgery."

"Oh… I see." Jeri looked crestfallen, having hoped for there to be more news, and Renamon couldn't blame her. Her eyes shimmering, Jeri sniffed and wiped at them. "Is she…?"  
"Just resting for a few minutes." She looked down at Rika. "I had to convince her for at least that much. She's taking things quite hard and hasn't allowed herself one moment of rest since the battle began."

"Oh Rika…" Jeri knelt down and gazed at the fire-haired girl, her face presently buried in her arms as she dozed. "You said just a few minutes?"

"She was quite insistent that it not last any longer than that. She wants to get you to the hospital as quickly as possible."

"I bet she'd be upset if we let her go longer," Jeri frowned as she rose back to her feet. After a moment, she met the kitsune's gaze. "Renamon? How…?" She swallowed, her face going pale, and she shuddered before continuing. "How…How did it happen?"

Renamon lifted her eyes toward the ceiling of the station, her blue eyes becoming thoughtful.

"The digimon that bio-emerged was…powerful. Enormously so, and Takato, for some reason, was having difficulty attaining Gallantmon's Crimson Mode. I am uncertain if that is due to a lack of use, as the last time it appeared was during the Parasimon invasion, but ultimately its absence forced us to try an alternative method. A dangerous one."

She closed her azure eyes, remembering how the four of them regrouped as, ahead of them, a tall, towering spider of a monstrosity rained devastation on the city from its demonic, gaping maw, seemingly its only weak point.

_"Going after it like that is going to be a suicide run,"_ Ryo had noted.

_"It's worth a try!"_ Takato had exclaimed. _"Nothing else is working so far! More people are going to get killed if we don't at least give this a try!"_

She continued to speak, losing herself in the memory, and for a moment, it felt as though she were back there, in the heat of the moment.

**###**

_"Terriermon and I should take the shot,"_ Henry said from within the emerald data sphere that contained his essence empowering his partner's Mega form, MegaGargomon, a massive, towering, humanoid fortress of green steel, gatling guns and missile launchers. _"Going after the head is going to be hard enough for the rest of you. It's a moving target! Our onboard computers and targeting systems can compensate though!"_

_"Yeah, but you're also the slowest and biggest,"_ Rika pointed out from within Renamon's Mega form of Sakuyamon, a tall, human wearing bronze armor over a black suit with a fox-shaped mask covering her face. _"No offense Henry, but you're practically a walking target, and we can't devolve you two and leave you vulnerable. Never mind that Rapidmon doesn't have the punch that we need."_

_"Well, what about a distraction?"_ Takato asked from within Gallantmon, a knight, armored in full plate of red and white, a hazard symbol emblazoned on his chest and a dragon-like face sitting atop his brow. _"I can do that much at least. Either that, or I can get up real close and…"_

_"That is_ too _dangerous!"_ Rika snapped. _"Armageddamon's attack already laughed off your shield when you weren't even within your firing range and you still can't regenerate it! There's_ no _way you'd be able to take a hit like that at point blank range!"_ The girl seethed from within, outwardly baring her teeth angrily. _"If Kenta didn't just up and disappear from his position…"_

_"Forget about him for now,"_ Ryo said from within Justimon, a humanoid figure with a mechanical arm, an eyeless, featureless metal mask covering his face while a crimson scarf billowed behind him. _"Anyway, she's got a point. If we're going to take some risks, let's make them smart ones. I think I can try upsetting its balance again just enough to at least slow it down. Keep it in place for a few seconds, but after that…"_

_"I think Guilmon and I can draw its attention by hitting its face with a Lightning Joust!"_ Takato said. _"I mean, it at least has to_ look _in our direction so it can shoot at us, so if Henry can line things up just right. At least it should make it easier, right?"_

Renamon, as Sakuyamon, frowned beneath her mask. There was a great deal that could go wrong with a plan like this, but they were running out of options. She cast a look toward the burning horizon, watching as the spider-like creature continued to march relentlessly across the city, firing burning orbs of power as the military helplessly continued to rain missiles and lasers on it. Who knew how many people had died now? Who knew how many more would continue to do so while they hesitated?

_Rika?_ she asked her partner, and the girl nodded, already knowing what she intended to say.

_"Renamon and I can provide backup for Henry and Terriermon with our barriers,"_ she declared.

_"That's a lot of fire being flung at you,"_ Henry said. _"Are you sure you can handle it?"_

Renamon watched her partner as the girl caused their lips to smirk, a show of confidence that the girl hesitated on feeling. Even she had doubts about the feasibility of this plan. But what choice did they have?

A powerful explosion burned along the horizon and Armageddamon reared its head back, roaring triumphantly. Renamon heard Terriermon gasp, his sensors no doubt reporting the aftermath to him and Henry.

_"End of the road everyone,"_ the rabbit-dog digimon's voice said from the mammoth war machine. _"We're on the last pitch of the game, and it's all riding on us now."_

Gallantmon nodded and hefted his lance. "All right," he said, speaking in the voices of both Takato and Guilmon as one. "Everyone, let's make this work!"

**###**

"Unfortunately, it didn't work," said Renamon with a regretful sigh, casting a look over at Rika. "Armageddamon's attack proved too powerful for even our barriers to contain. Too powerful for even MegaGargomon's armor to defend against. We were both taken out of the fight, and with Ryo already knocked out of action, Takato took a chance and went on the attack, point blank." Returning her attention to Jeri, she met her amber eyes gravely.  
"I…regretfully didn't see what happened in its totality at the end, but, I saw the explosion, and in the next moment, it was just Takato and Gigimon, and they were falling in midair."

Jeri wiped at her eyes, doing her best to keep her tears as silent as possible so as to not disturb Rika's nap. Turning, she bowed again to Renamon.

"Thank you," she said, "for being honest with me."

Renamon tilted her head to one side questioningly, the edges of her hair brushing against her shoulders before she simply nodded.

"Of course. It is what friends do after all."

A faint smile touched the corners of Jeri's face at that before she looked down at Rika. Renamon's blue eyes followed hers, contemplating the girl.

"She's really out of it, isn't she?" the brunette asked, watching as Rika began to sag listlessly on the pillar before jerking awake with a tired snort. Her violet eyes blinked blearily as she looked around, taking in Jeri and Renamon's presence before widening in realization.

"J-Jeri!" she exclaimed in surprise, uncharacteristically scrambling to her feet and wiping at her mouth where she found she had drooled a bit in her sleep. "Renamon! Why didn't you…?"

"You said to let you rest for a few minutes," the kitsune said, her all too human smile curving ever so subtly on her lips. Rika scowled at her before returning her attention to Jeri. Her mouth opened, as if to say something, paused, and then her gaze slid away. Jeri gave her a sympathetic look. Although she wasn't used to seeing Rika looking uncertain about something, it was understandable, given circumstances.

_I'm still waiting to see if I wake up and find out it's all a bad dream. It_ feels _like it's just a dream. How… How will I react when I see Takato for real? It feels like I haven't really accepted it. Like I think that when I see him he'll really just be okay and Rika just misunderstood what she saw._

She knew though that likely wasn't the case. Just looking into her friend's eyes told her the truth of the matter.

"I…guess we ought to get going, huh?" Rika began, starting to turn, only to halt when Jeri drew up to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her taller friend, causing Rika to jerk with surprise.

"J-Jeri! Wha…?"

"You don't have to hide anything from any of us," Jeri interrupted, tightening her grip around her friend. "You know that, right?"

"I…" Rika hesitated, her face drawing up tightly before she clenched her eyes shut. "Damn it… Don't make me cry again. I've…I've done enough of that already today."

"You don't have to cry or anything," Jeri replied softly. "Just tell us how you feel. Talk to us."

Rika took a shuddering breath, leaning her head against Jeri's briefly before slowly disentangling herself from her friend's arms.

"Not now," she replied, taking a step away, her fists drawn tight. "I'm sorry, Jeri. I'm just…sorry."

Rika wiped at her eyes, cursing her tears.

_I couldn't keep my promise…_

Slipping an arm around Rika's, Jeri pulled her close and gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't be," she said, before unknowingly speaking to her unvoiced thought. "I'm sure you did your best. You always do after all."

Rika's eyes shimmered at that, but before she could say anything, Jeri started them off.

"Come on," she said softly. "Takato needs us."

**###**

Ryo exited the hospital doors with a sigh, fingering the bandages wrapped around his head. No pain. Not yet anyway. The forty stitches felt solid underneath, but he couldn't resist the urge to pick at them.

_Just a little bit harder and I would have that chunk of cement where my brain would be,_ he thought grimly, taking out his cellphone and finding precisely what he expected he would; an angry message from his father, wondering where he was. He sighed, knowing that the man would _not_ like hearing about how he left their home in Fukuoka – again – to assist the Tamers in their battle with Armageddamon and nearly got killed in the process. Nineteen years old or not, Ryo was still his son and he would worry about him.

Deciding to bite the bullet, he fired off a quick text message, specifically that he was all right and that he would be home shortly, though how soon 'shortly' was he didn't specify and in all honesty, not even he felt certain. Pocketing his phone, he glanced up at the hospital rooftop. Somewhere up there was Cyberdramon, waiting for him to call so they could leave. A slight, warm breeze of the oncoming evening brushed along his hair, stirring his thoughts.

"Isn't this the part where you disappear mysteriously on us again?"

Broken out of his reverie, Ryo turned his gaze to find Henry and Terriermon approaching from across the street. Ryo smiled wanly and shrugged.

"Decided against it for now," he replied. "No media in sight yet."

"Yeah, I figured that would be a problem," Henry said with a wave. "I'm surprised that I don't see any right now."

"I bet that's Yamaki's doing," Terriermon said, dangling off Henry's outstretched arm with his ears before plopping down onto the ground. "He knows how much we like our privacy and he's certainly got enough secret government organization muscle to scare people away if they get too nosey. Must be nice for him."

"The grey hairs he has say otherwise," Ryo chuckled before turning to a more serious subject. "I tried to find out how Takato's doing, but no luck. He's still in surgery."

Henry made a face at that, but he didn't look at all surprised. Ryo figured on that, certain that Yamaki was keeping them appraised of their friend's condition as information came up.

"What about Kazu?" Terriermon asked, peeking out from around Henry's legs. "Not that I'm not worried about Takatomon or anything, but, you know, just to be fair, since I figure Kazu would feel left out if we didn't at least worry about him once in a while."

"He's climbing the walls worrying about Takato," Ryo replied. "Not literally, since his leg won't let him, but…you know how he is. He can't sit still when one of his friend's is hurt or in trouble. I poked my head in his room before I left. Kenta's with him right now. He looks…" Ryo ran a hand through his hair, trailing off and wishing that he had done more for those two. Kenta especially. No doubt he felt rotten for being out of position, though personally he doubted it would have mattered. One didn't simply fight a city-shattering digimon and expect to have anything go right.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them before Henry spoke up.

"Ryo… You've been in the digital world longer than any of us, and I've seen you gain access to it to get home faster."

Ryo stiffened at that. Henry _knew_ about that?

"I'm not going to tell Yamaki, don't worry," Henry quickly added, seeing his sudden alarm. "I just need to know… Is it possible for Takato to go there and use the digital world's properties to recreate his arm?"

At that, the Legendary Tamer lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"I…don't know," he admitted. "I've never tried, or seen it happen. I mean, other than digimon that is, but…"

"Takato _is_ part digital now because of what Dobermon did for us to let us biomerge with our partners in the real world," Henry said. "I think it might be possible. Data can be rebuilt. Reconstructed in ways that organic matter can't."

"Maybe," Ryo agreed, sympathizing. "But if I were you, I wouldn't pin my hopes on it. Digimon and humans are _completely_ different from one another, but it's worth a try. I'm willing to bet Yamaki's thought of it too."

Henry's grey eyes lit up, and Ryo could see that in spite of his words, he was going to pin his hopes on the possibility anyway.

Before anything further could be said, the shape of a nine-tailed fox with long ribbons tied about her neck materialized out of thin air, Rika and Jeri sitting atop her back.

"Hey you three," Ryo waved as the two girls quickly climbed down and the foxes shape glowed, shrinking down to the single-tailed, bipedal fox that was Renamon. Seeing Ryo, Rika's eyes narrowed.

"Ugh. _You're_ still here," she said darkly. Ryo sighed inwardly at her never-ending grudge against him, but outwardly he grinned amiably.

"Couldn't let you get bored, Wild Cat," he returned, earning him an even _darker_ glare than he thought possible. Next to her, Renamon's body shifted, blurred, and took on her human disguise once more, causing the Legendary Tamer to blink in surprise at the presence of _two_ Rika's now before he chuckled.

"Nice Kohenkyo. Rika didn't tell me you've been practicing with that technique."

"That's because I don't tell you _anything,"_ Rika replied irritably. "Don't you have some place you should be?"

"Would you two drop it already?" Henry asked, massaging the bridge of his nose in agitation. "There's been enough fighting for one night already."

From by his ankles, Terriermon swung a look up at Rika. "Yeah, it's not like he's insulting Renamon or anything. He's complimenting her."

"He can keep his compliments to himself," Rika grumbled, earning her a sharp elbow from Jeri and Renamon both. Ryo shook his head mentally, rubbing the back of his head before opting to change the subject.

"Anyway, Henry here was just telling us that he had an idea on how to help Takato."

"What? You do?!" Jeri asked, her eyes growing wide while Rika looked over at him anxiously. Henry, for his part, suddenly looked uncertain, not at all prepared for being put on the spot like that.

"Well… It's just an idea."

"It must be a _good_ idea if you thought of it this quickly," Rika said, folding her arms over her chest. "Start talking, Einstein."

"Well, I…" The half-Chinese Tamer was interrupted as their cellphones buzzed. Quickly taking them out, all three Tamers read the contents of the message.

"Takato's out of surgery," Ryo said, and as though it were a signal, Jeri broke into a run toward the hospital doors, followed quickly by Rika, Henry and Ryo.

"We'll just chill out here!" Terriermon called out, waving at them with one ear for one, long moment before dropping it, looking depressed.

"Renamon?" he asked, his voice quavering a little. Turning her blue eyes toward him, Renamon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Terriermon?"

The rabbit-dog digimon visibly struggled as he watched their partners and friends disappear behind the hospital doors before shaking his head.

"Nothing. Forget it."

Kneeling down, her now tiny tail flipping noticeably, she placed a hand on Terriermon's head, patting him comfortingly.

"Momentai, Terriermon."


	4. Chapter 4

Slowly, Takato felt himself rising from the darkness that had swallowed him and toward a growing, welcoming light. He shied from the light briefly, a part of him recalling tales of its meaning of death, leaving him floating there between the two, until the sound of familiar voices reached his ears. Finding him drawn to their tone, worried and anxious, he followed them to their source. The light grew about him, and as the voices steadily began to grow clearer, his vision began to resolve into more readily recognizable sights and sounds; people he knew, and the gentle pressure of a hand in his own, a silent refusal to relinquish him to either shadow or light.

With a groan, he tightened his grip around the hand – his mother's touch – and lifted his right arm to ward off the light that assaulted his vision.

No arm however rose to protect him, and he clenched his eyes shut painfully.

"…need to check his injury for any signs of infection over the next few days," spoke up a voice from the far end of the bed. "We're confident though that he'll make a full recov…"

_"Takato!"_

Mie Matsuki's voice broke across the doctor's explanations as she bolted out of her seat with a cry, almost knocking her chair over in the process. Almost at once, the others – his father and his friends – began to crowd around him, an avalanche of questions already hitting him.

"Are you all right?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Buh-wha…?" Takato stammered out with wide eyes, taken aback by everything happening all at once. His memories were a jumbled mess, and this was just too much, too fast for him to sort through. He tried to adjust himself in the bed using his free arm so he could sit up…

His arm wasn't there.

"Easy there!" came Rika's voice, her hand suddenly catching him by the shoulder as he slipped, and he caught sight of the bandaged stump where his arm used to be. For the briefest of moments, all vision went pitch _black,_ the shock of the sight hitting him like a truck before he became conscious of Rika's voice calling out to him worriedly. The soft, yet firm pressure of her hand rooted him and with a shake, he fell out of the darkness once more, a tremor running through his body. Memories… Memories came back to him. Armageddamon beating down the others; plowing Ryo into a building and knocking Henry and Rika out of their Mega forms. He remembered rushing up and thrusting his lance into the monster's mouth, hoping beyond hope that he could strike its digi-core or at least cause some serious internal damage. And then, Armageddamon's jaws crushing down on his arm _brutally_ just as he fired off his _Lightning Joust,_ the power erupting out of control, ripping through its head before detonating explosively, sending him and Gigimon flying backwards.

_That's…That's right. I was hurt. Hurt bad, and I…_

His stump moved, and he felt the ghost of his missing hand press against his head to steady himself. His hand! Fingers now gone were crying out, and the tremors he felt began to grow.

"Takato?" came Takehiro's voice, breaking him out of his silence, and he looked up, seeing that everyone had grown quiet as the doctor made his way past them to check on him.

"S-Sorry," he replied quickly, forcing himself to focus on the others. "I'm…uh…h-how am I doing? I'm doing fine, right?"

_Ignore the trembling. Ignore the missing hand. Ignore it all. Focus on the others._ That's what he hammered home over and over in his mind as he brought himself back down to reality. The tremors subsided and he forced a smile on his face to show them that he meant what he said, but unbeknownst to him, Jeri and Rika both exchanged looks, the two hearing the stammer in his voice and the way his eyes had suddenly become evasive. Takato, they knew, rarely lied, and even when he did, he couldn't make it convincing if his life depended on it. They also knew that when he wanted to hide something, he would panic from being put on the spot and end up obfuscating the whole thing behind a clumsy stammering of truths that never answered quite questions.

"Ah! Guilmon!" Takato exploded suddenly as the doctor shone a light in his right eye. He sat up suddenly, only to fall back as he suddenly became very dizzy.

"Nurse!" the doctor called as Takato groaned, his breathing suddenly feeling very shallow. He heard the others cry out in panic, but the dizzy spell soon passed, leaving him panting on the pillow.

"You lost a great deal of blood when you were brought in," the doctor explained, as he began to recover and reorient himself. "Fortunately, we were able to give you some transfusions, but until you've recovered a bit more, these spells are to be expected."

He shone the light in Takato's left eye before lifting his stethoscope, checking his heart rhythm. Takato shivered as he felt it press against his chest, and after a few moments, he nodded and drew back.

"I would advise against causing any further excitement for him," he said to everyone gathered around as the nurse came in, her expression full of concern.

"But…what about Guilmon?" he asked, his remaining arm drawing up over himself, grabbing hold of the bedsheet. "I…I need to know…"

"He's at my place, sleeping the fight off," Rika assured him, giving his shoulder another squeeze, having never left him once in all the excitement. "Don't worry. He's doing okay."

Takato looked up at her, his red-eyes meeting her violet ones and he smiled with relief.

"Thanks," he replied, relaxing. He suddenly felt _so_ tired. In spite of that, he forced his remaining hand up and brushed the tips of his fingers over hers before they fell back, sleep threatening to claim him. He caught wind of the doctor saying something about checking his blood pressure and he pushed the siren call of rest away, at least for the moment.

"E-Everyone else?" he asked. "You're all okay, right?"

"Hey, Chumley! Why don't you try worrying about yourself for a change?" crowed a voice from the other side of the room, startling the teen. Turning his head as the others did likewise, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face lying in a bed, his left leg all done up in a cast and suspended in the air. His grey eyes were glazed over slightly from pain medication, yet they shone fiercely beneath a tangled mane of brown hair, and he had an expression on his face that made Takato think of a wolf. Yet his gaze held a powerful concern for him that blazed openly like a bonfire.

"K-Kazu!"

Kazu narrowed his eyes at him, his eyes darting downward before returning to Takato's. Their glazed look deepened and his head fell back onto his pillow with an annoyed grunt.

"Rika Jeri somebody tell that dork to look care for himself for once," he slurred irritably, the medication causing his words to jumble a bit. "Ooohhh…maaan…"

There came a faint hiss as the blood pressure meter finished taking its measurements. Takato blinked, having not noticed when it had gone on.

"He does have a good point," Takehiro spoke up from next to Mie, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder as she wiped at her eyes. "For right now, you should be taking care of yourself and get some rest." He glanced at the doctor worriedly. "You're _sure_ that he'll make a full recovery?"

"For the time being, yes," the doctor replied with a nod as the nurse unstrapped the blood pressure meter. "As I said though, we'll be keeping him over for a few days for observation, as it's going to be important to keep an eye on his injury for infection. But so far, everything checks out."

Takehiro breathed a sigh of relief, giving Mie's shoulder a soft squeeze before he turned to Rika.

"It's not going to be any trouble if we pick Guilmon up from your place, is it?"

"Hm?" Rika blinked. "Oh. No, it won't be. I…" She trailed off for a moment, her gaze drifting back over to Takato, whose eyes were closing once more on him. "I…just wish that he were here right now so he could see his partner."

"I'm afraid the hospital rules _must_ stand," the doctor insisted. "I realize that not all digimon will cause problems for electronics, but we can't afford to take any chances with people's lives. Not at the present." He looked at the Tamers each in their turn, his expression sympathetic. "Maybe someday, but not now."

"We got it," Ryo said, tipping the man a salute. The doctor merely frowned before turning to Takehiro and Mie.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, bowing his head politely before he turned and exited the room, the nurse following quickly behind him. Alone now, Kenta glanced over his shoulder before drawing back his shirt, and at once, a pink, teardrop-shaped creature with wide eyes, a heart emblazoned on its chest and fairy-like wings emerged, growing in size until it was as long as the teen's head. At the sight, Mie jumped and the other Tamers looked at him in surprise.

"Wha…? Kenta… Your partner! What is he doing here?!" she exclaimed, all the while trying to keep her voice down.

"I snuck him in," Kenta admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I know, hospital rules. Not even Yamaki could make them bend on it, but…I couldn't just stand there and not try to help Takato get better. It's the least I could do anyway."

Jeri's expression brightened at that as next to her Mie took a quick look at the door to assure herself that the doctor wasn't coming back straight away before allowing a small, relieved smile to touch the corners of her face. Reaching out once more, she brushed her hand against Takato's remaining arm.

"It can't…fix him all the way though, can it?"

"We're not really sure about everythingMarineAngemon can do with humans except that he can't help them if they're not part digital," Henry admitted. "And since Takato has digital properties, at the very least, he'll help Takato get better a little bit faster."

"Every little bit helps," Ryo nodded, a part of him wishing that he could ask for some help with regards to his own injury.

_Too bad my own adventures made that a little bit…complicated,_ he thought as Kenta looked over at Mie and Takehiro questioningly. The two parents exchanged a look and Mie nodded, granting permission.

"Okay, buddy," Kenta said to his partner. "A single 'puh' and let's see what happens, okay?"

Bobbing his pink head up and down, the diminutive digimon quickly flew over and with a smile, spat a floating, blue, glowing heart-shaped bubble at the brown-haired teen whereupon it promptly burst, sending a cloud of tiny, sparkling shards floating over him, where they came to rest upon him and vanished. Almost at once, Takato's breathing began to ease and some color returned to his face. His eyes fluttered open once more and he squawked upon finding MarineAngemon unexpectedly hovering inches in front of him.

"I think that's your cue, buddy," Kenta said worriedly, shooting a quick look over his shoulder in the direction of the door just in time to see a nurse pause, lifting a curious eyebrow in their direction. Drawing back his shirt once more, MarineAngemon flew back over and shrank down, disappearing within its confines.

"S-Sorry," Takato gasped, patting his chest. "I just…" He took a deep breath. "Wow. I feel…"

"How about we keep a lid on it for now," Ryo said suggestively, winking at the teen as the nurse poked her head in.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, our friend is just a little excitable, that's all," Ryo replied with an apologetic grin. "We should probably get going so he can get some rest."

"It _is_ getting late," Takehiro sighed, looking out the window, spying that the last of the daylight was rapidly vanishing behind the edge of the horizon and knowing that visiting hours were almost over. Admittedly, he didn't want to leave his son so soon, but at this point the more rest his son got, the better. "Mie?"

The elder Matsuki matriarch hesitated, clearly less willing than he to leave Takato behind. Seeing this, Takato, feeling much stronger now, used his remaining hand to get into a better seated position – both Jeri and Rika tensing up in the event that he slipped as he did earlier – and once he was properly situated, smiled at his mother.

"Don't worry about me, Mom," he said, only for the woman to give him a sharp look while Jeri's eyes went wide with surprise. He winced, feeling even Rika's eyes boring a hole somewhere on the back of his head and he held up his hand in a placating manner.

"Okay. Not…exactly my best suggestion. Sorry. Wow. See? I _am_ feeling better…"

"Takato?" This from Jeri, who was presently smiling sweetly at him, but in a manner that he wasn't used to seeing, but quickly, for a wonder, managed to translate.

_Stop talking._

Getting up from her seat, Mie swept her son up into a tight, powerful hug, all at once letting all the tension and fear that she had been keeping in her out.

"Oh Takato…!" she choked out, and Takato felt his heart break at that, tears springing to life in his own eyes. He hated it when his mother cried. He always felt horrible whenever she did, regardless of whether it was his fault or not. He wrapped his arm about her as best he could while his stump attempted to join it, returning her hug, trying his best to help her feel better and knowing that nothing he could do right now would help.

_It's not fair… Why is it that I always end up causing problems for her? Why… Why can't I do anything right?_

He felt the ghost of his arm tighten and he bit his lower lip, feeling the muscles along where it should have been throb and ache in their attempts to respond. He ignored it though, a part of him grateful that the missing limb remembered his love for his mother enough to visit, even though it couldn't do anything.

His father soon joined them, wrapping his arms about the two of them and rocking them in his arms. No one dared to interrupt them. No one even wanted to.

However, all things needed an end, and eventually Takehiro and Mie drew away from their son, Mie's face a portrait of pain as she mouthed a silent cry to her son, tears streaming down her face before she buried herself in her husband's arms. Massaging her back tenderly, Takehiro nodded to the teen.

"Get some rest after we leave," he said. "That's an order."  
"Y-Yeah," Takato sniffed, wiping at his eyes. "No problem."

The others bid their goodbyes one at a time afterward, keeping it to a few words. Kenta promised to visit and to bring MarineAngemon to help him along if tonight's treatment showed further positive results.

Rika gazed at Takato thoughtfully for a moment while he and Henry made their goodbyes before digging into her pocket, producing her cell phone. It was presently off, but it held a full charge, having charged it before leaving the house.

"Here," she said, setting it by his side on the bed. "If…you know. You ever need to talk or something… One of us is just a call away. Don't worry about the minutes."

"Um…Rika?" began Kenta from the doorway. "That's…not a good idea. Hospital rules are pretty strict about cellphones. They might cause problems with the equipment. If they find it here…"

Rika felt her face flush at that and she looked away.

"Right," she said, reaching down to take her phone back. "Forget it then."

"Sorry," Takato apologized, picking it up for her and handing it back. Rika frowned as she took it and jammed it back into her pocket with more force than was needed.

"What are you apologizing for? It's not like _you_ made the rules or anything."

"I know, but…" Takato scratched the back of his head. "You know how I am."

Rika met his eyes for a moment before looking away.

"Yeah," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Yeah, I do."

Seeing how worked up Rika was getting, Jeri gave the girl an understanding look before getting to her feet. Making her way over to the boy, she leaned in and gave him a tight hug before, seized suddenly by an impulse driven by her fears, she gave Takato a quick kiss on the cheek, earning her a surprised look from all around as she drew back, blushing furiously.

"J-J-Jeri…? I… Bu…you…wha…?" Takato stammered out, his left hand rising to his cheek, but the girl only beamed at him, her face colored a ferocious red while tears shone at the corners of her eyes.

"Get some rest, okay?" she asked. "We'll see you tomorrow. And you too, Kazu!"

"It's fine," Kazu mumbled, lifting up one hand and giving them all a thumbs-up. "Everybody get some rest. We'll make it a dream party or something."

"Too bad MarineAngemon can't fix his mouth so that he make more sense," Rika muttered, giving Takato's shoulder another quick squeeze before starting toward the door, Jeri following quickly behind. Takato watched them go, waving dumbly at them until they disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone with Kazu. His hand drew to his flushed cheek, still buzzing from the kiss Jeri had given him. Kissed… Jeri had _kissed_ him!

_Why…? I thought…I thought she… She couldn't… That she wasn't…_

He shook his head, his thoughts not making any sense. The day had been too full of things happening. He needed time to digest it all. Time he now had quite a bit of.

_Maybe she was just being nice,_ he thought, his hand slowly lowering into his lap where it lay, alone and without its companion. He gazed at it, thoughts of Jeri's kiss evaporating like so much morning mist.

_So much for drawing,_ he thought, his mind falling into a haze. He curled his remaining fingers into his palm and felt his stump wince in turn, throbbing slightly. Clasping hold of it, he clenched his teeth, rocking against it. It struck him that the day _still_ hadn't hit him. He felt a wave of unreality wash over him, causing the muscles in his body to tense up.

_Dead… Shouldn't I be dead? I should be dead, right? Maybe I'm just dreaming? Or maybe it's both and my ghost just hasn't realized it yet. I… Ah… Ah nuts…_

He suddenly felt dizzy and he fell back against his pillow, breathing heavily. From off to the side, Kazu's glazed eyes watched him, a worried look on his face.

"Hey, Chumley?"

"Y-Yeah?" he asked, rooting himself to his friend's voice as the dizziness subsided.

"You're going to be okay, got it? We're all here for you."

Takato tightened his grip around the remains of his right arm and nodded, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Yeah. Just…Just like always, right?"

A pall of silence fell upon the air as Takato's breathing normalized, though the tension remained.

"Kazu?" he asked, breaking the quiet. "How're you doing?"

The other teen made a grunting noise, shifting in bed as best he could.

"I've got a hell of an itch that I can't touch and I'm worrying about my best friend. I'm perfectly fine. How about you?"

With an effort, Takato forced himself to relinquish his grasp around his stump and take a shaky breath.

"Well… You know how I am."

"Yeah," Kazu nodded. "Yeah, we do."

**###**

Rika, Jeri and the Matsuki's found Gigimon in the yard of the Nonaka residence, busily pacing about with a stuffed toy fox in his mouth while seated on the porch, Rumiko watched. Rika blinked, not sure which she was more surprised about. Her mother being home and watching over the tiny digimon, or the fact that said digimon had one of her old – and only – stuffed toys from when she had been a really little girl, back before her father had left home.

_Where did Mom find that?_ she wondered, glancing at the woman in question. _I thought I got rid of it a long time ago. I'm pretty sure I remember tossing it in the trash._

She blinked, realizing that was likely _how_ it had been found.

"Rikamon!" Gigimon exclaimed, dropping the stuffed fox to the ground before snatching it back up and scampering on over to her. Rika raised an eyebrow at this. Guilmon had never referred to her in such a manner before, and only called Takato such when stressed or tired.

"Hey there," she greeted as he pounced against her leg urgently. Leaning down, she caught him up in her arms and drew him to her tight. "Glad to see you're up."

"Takato was pretty worried about you," Jeri added as Gigimon nestled in Rika's grasp. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm awa… Oh!" Gigimon was interrupted in his reply upon realizing that he dropped the fox toy again. A white paw with purple armguards snatched it out of the air before it could get very far however as Renamon – now back in her fox form – materialized out of thin air. Gigimon's large, gold eyes looked at the kitsune with adoration and gratitude before looking at the others expectantly, his tiny stump of a tail twitching in an attempt to wag.

"Takatomon! Is he doing okay? Your grandmamon said he had been hurt!"

_Grandmamon?_ Rika felt a bit worried about that. It was almost as if Gigimon had regressed completely in his behavior.

_I hope that's just because he's at the In-training level and not because Armageddamon scrambled his data._

"We'll fill you in on that as we head home," Takehiro replied, his voice grave as Rumiko approached, her expression tense. "Are you okay with leaving now?"

Gigimon made a small, keening, whine, clearly not happy with the lack of answers, but he gave a reluctant nod. Giving him a tight squeeze, Rika passed him off to Mie, who accepted him gratefully.

"Gigimon…" she choked out, her voice muffled as she pressed him to her. "As soon as we get home, we're getting you some Guilmon Bread and then…then we'll talk about Takato."

"Is he all right?!" Gigimon pressed, his anxiety becoming quite plain.

"He's fine for the most part," Takehiro answered as Rumiko drew to a halt next to Rika, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Seeing her, Takehiro bowed politely. "Thank you for letting him stay here."

"It's no trouble," Rumiko replied, giving the Matsuki's a small, understanding smile. "Take care Gigimon."

"Do you want this?" Renamon asked, presenting the fox toy to the tiny In-Training. Gigimon's mouth opened and looked at Rika and Rumiko questioningly. Rika shrugged, trying to ignore the blush growing on her face as Rumiko nodded.

"We'd be happy to let him have it if that's what he wants. Trust me, it's no trouble as long as it helps him feel better."

With tears brimming in his eyes, Gigimon took hold of the stuffed fox with his teeth and snuggled back against Mie, a loud, _purring_ noise emanating from him. Rika's eyebrows rose, realizing that Gigimon's purr was to the same tune of the lullaby that she hummed to him earlier. Feeling a sudden rush of emotion, she swallowed, shifting in her place.

"M-Mrs. Matsuki? It won't be a problem if I help out tomorrow, will it? I mean, I know you have me scheduled to be off, but…"

Rika cut off as Mie shook her head, but not without an appreciative look on her face.

"I think we're going to be closed for tomorrow. But thanks for asking." She paused. "Although…if it wouldn't be too much trouble to keep an eye on Gigimon while we're visiting Takato at the hospital…"

"I'll be there," Rika bowed, to which Mie smiled. With nothing more to be said, the Matsuki's and Gigimon bid Rika, Renamon, Rumiko and Jeri their final goodbyes – Jeri receiving a smile from Mie in particular – and headed off, leaving the four alone now.

"R-Rika…?" Rumiko stammered out, and at once Rika felt the tension running in her mother's hand. Turning about, Rika hugged her mother tightly, sensing that she needed it far more than she did after everything that happened today.

"Mom…" she whispered hoarsely as Rumiko held onto her with all her strength.

"I helped with dinner. It…It might be a little cold now, but we have all of your favorites."

Rika clenched her eyes back against the tears. She was so sick and tired of crying today, but no matter what, it felt like she couldn't find an end to it all.

Rumiko threaded a hand through her daughter's hand and smoothed it out while Seiko stepped out onto the porch, having come to investigate the sound of voices. Her eyes fell on Jeri, who was presently standing off to the side, watching patiently as Rika and Rumiko comforted one another, guessing with little prompting as to why she was here.

"Hello, Jeri," she greeted, folding her hands together. "Would you care to join us? We have more than enough if you'd like. I'm sure it would give the two of you time to catch up."

Jeri jumped, having not expected that. After a moment of flummoxed stammering, she quickly regained her composure and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Ms. Hata," she replied. "I just need to give my parents a call."

**###**

Night found Rika sitting at her, a book in front of her and open, but she found that she couldn't really focus on the words on the page. Dinner had been good, though it didn't improve her mood in the least. She was grateful at least for Jeri's presence, as she currently remained her sole reason for not snapping or doing something rash, instead keeping her grounded.

It didn't stop her from itching to do something though. Itching to _act._

Absently, she noted that the book she was reading had been a birthday present from about two years ago that she never got around to reading and he never once asked about her enjoyment of.

She heard the sounds of soft footsteps approaching from behind, and she glanced to the side to see Jeri's shadow rising along her floor before the girl came up next to her and sat down.

"My parents gave me permission to stay overnight," she said, brushing at her hair. Rika nodded numbly, turning the page absently.

"You don't have to, you know," Rika replied. Jeri tilted her head to one side questioningly.

"I know, but I want to." She paused, pressing her lips together tightly before looking away. They had already been through this earlier, during dinner when Rumiko suggested it, no doubt guessing that her wayward daughter and her best female friend would be in need of each other's company, all things considered. "I…I want to thank you for being there for Takato."

Rika's hand angrily curled around the page as she turned it again, wrinkling it. She felt a flash of frustration, but quickly stilled it. Jeri of all people didn't deserve getting lashed out at.

"Hm," she grunted noncommittally instead, looking away.

Jeri, making a note of this reached out and placed a hand over Rika's, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Rika? Could you tell me what you're feeling?"

The fire-haired girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Jeri? If you make me cry again, I'm going to be _very_ angry with you." Opening her eyes, she turned them towards Jeri. "And right now, I don't think I could take it if I got mad at you just for being concerned."

Jeri regarded her compassionately for a moment before giving her hand one more squeeze and withdrawing.

"All right," she nodded. "But if you ever want to talk…"

"I know. You'll be there."


	5. Chapter 5

His gold-trimmed digivice lay in his hand, its screen encircled by the rigid symbols of digicode. Placing it in his lap, Takato drew out a small notebook and tore out a sheet of paper from it, his expression focused, yet crawling with nervousness. On the paper, was an image of a hand, a bit rough around the edges and rather crude, worse even than anything he drew as a child, which was to be expected, all things considered. He couldn't draw with his good hand anymore, it having been destroyed during the battle with the Armageddemon, so he made do with what he could. That didn't matter though.

_When I created Guilmon, he wasn't exactly a masterpiece,_ he thought, thinking back on the poor quality of art that he was capable of at the age of twelve. The digivice vastly improved on the real thing though, and even added a few touches that hadn't been part of the original piece, such as the hazard symbol emblazoned on Guilmon's chest.

If the digivice could do something like that, create a full-fledged living organism out of just a drawing and make it work without any trouble, then why couldn't he create a new arm for himself? Especially since the digivice was connected to him and he was now part digital?

Simple, right?

Setting the digivice down in his lap, he took the drawing and set it to the slot just off to its side and slid it through, Sparks flashed in the dark of the hospital and Takato clenched his eyes shut to ward them from being blinded. His stump tingled as the screen on the digivice dissolved into a number of zeroes and ones, growing in intensity until his bandages tore open, light expanding out from the destroyed limb until a hand materialized on the other end. Tears brimmed to life in Takato's eyes. He did! He fixed himself! He…!

His arm turned toward him, a vicious red scar of a smile growing upon his palm as crimson eyes lit up above it. As he gaped at it in confusion and horror, an eerie blackness spread out from the mouth as fangs began to burst free from the skin, snapping hungrily at him.

_"Sadness can be deleted, and so can you,"_ the hand laughed before thrusting itself at his face. Takato screamed and…jerked awake, swallowing his cry, floundering about in bed for a moment, half-panicking in confusion before finally stilling, his breathing coming out fast and heavy. Distantly, he heard Kazu grunt and shift in his bed, but for the present, he said nothing. Takato took a breath to steady himself. He was in the hospital still, and he hadn't tried scanning a new arm for himself. Lifting himself up in his bed with a groan, he brushed a hand against his stump, shuddering as pain crept up into his shoulder slowly like an icy chill. He glanced down at the controller for his IV drip lying just off to his left, the button that would signal his medication to flow into him intravenously, killing the pain. The doctor had explained to him following his friends and family leaving, that, at least for this first night, he would be allowed this to help him get through the night. He pressed his lips together uncertainly, worrying a little bit about the risks he often heard about becoming addicted to pain medication. MarineAngemon's healing hearts had helped him considerably, and he hadn't needed anything while he slept – well, at least once he managed to calm down long enough from Jeri's kiss to do that – but now…

He massaged his shoulder and rotated it gingerly before giving his arm's remains a good, solid look. It looked much the same as it did when he saw it last night

_Just a nightmare. But this…really wasn't a dream after all, huh?_ he thought, his expression falling. A part of him had hoped otherwise – foolishly so – but now, with the light of day, there was nothing left to do except to admit the reality of his situation. Looking away, he took a deep breath to steady himself. Pulling back the covers, he shifted and set his feet down on the cold floor.

"Should you really be doing that?" came Kazu's voice from the other bed. Pausing, he looked over his shoulder to find his friend awake, more lucid, and looking at him disapprovingly. Takato flashed him a grin that felt plastered on his face.

"Sure! The doctor said that it's okay for me to do this if I need to use the bathroom. Well, I mean just so long as I don't trip and hurt myself or anything. Plus, it's exercise, and the doctor said that I'm kind of going to need that."

Kazu eyed him skeptically before shrugging. Takato maintained eye contact, so he wasn't trying to avoid the topic or lie.

"As long as you're doing okay, Chumley," he smiled back as he folded his arms behind his head. "You _are_ doing okay, right? I mean, you're not all…" Kazu scrunched up his face, trying to think of the right word. "…I don't know. Weird or anything?"

"Ah…" Takato tilted his head to one side questioningly. "Define _weird."_

Kazu shifted, looking uncomfortable. "I don't know. I don't know! I just… Ahhh… Forget about it!"

Looking annoyed now, Kazu shifted, attempting to affect a makeshift rollover so as to not look at his friend, but the position of his broken leg, still hanging in its sling, hindered him considerably. Takato watched him for a moment, the need of his bladder pressing against his belly urgently before he finally started toward the bathroom. A nurse stepped inside, a bright smile on her face.

"Oh, you're up!" she noted, eyes widening a little before she saw the course of his path taking him to the bathroom. "Don't mind me. I'm here to change your bandages. Do whatever you need to do and then we can get started."

"T-Thanks," Takato smiled back at her before hurrying along, not sure what else to say beyond that. Since beginning puberty, he tended to get rather tongue twisted around girls and women – Jeri especially and almost as often Rika as well – and generally had a hard time engaging in conversation with strangers. Closing the door to the bathroom behind him, he let out a sigh. A moment passed where he just stood there, digesting his mirrored image before he fumbled with his hospital gown, lifting it up while he moved his stump to raise the toilet seat.

He paused and lowered his head, allowing the mop of his hair to fall over his eyes as he kicked himself mentally.

_Oh… Right._ He grimaced, his stump pawing uselessly at the air before he withdrew it and repeated the motion with his left hand. _This…is going to take some getting used to…_

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, and for a moment, he felt as though he were looking at a complete stranger.

_Maybe I am now? I mean…it's…it's not like I can be a Tamer with just one arm now, right? I…_

Takato blinked as he felt as though he had been struck by a hammer. What _could_ he do now as a Tamer with only one arm? Cards, for the time being at least, seemed out of the question, but could he still biomerge with Guilmon?

_Oh please…_ he thought, clenching his teeth. _Please let us be able to help out still…_

His bladder throbbed, reminding him that he still had yet to empty its contents. With a wince, he lifted his hospital gown again and began to take care of business.

**###**

Sunlight filtered in through Rika's bedroom, and cast itself upon where she slept, rousing her from uncomfortable dreams and setting her hair afire. Groaning, she sat up and looked over to her side, finding Jeri dozing pleasantly, having, for the time being, avoided the deadly, dream-breaking ray that poured in from outdoors. Rika sighed and shook her head, grateful that at least her sleep at least appeared undisturbed.

_Mine sure weren't,_ she thought irritably, climbing out of her futon and padding out into the hallway, her bladder making its complaints known to her. Distantly, she heard the sound of the television echoing from the living room.

_Grandma probably,_ she thought, the elder matriarch being an early riser as she enjoyed getting the most out of her day while the middle one, Rika's own mother, tended to be the one to sleep in late. Passing the living room, she found her expectation confirmed, the greying woman seated in front of the blue glow of the television, playing the news. It was a story about last night's battle. Rika paused at the entryway, listening.

_"…current count stands at twenty-five dead and sixty-two wounded,"_ came the report. _"Parliament is currently set to debate what actions should be taken with regards to this latest digital threat…"_

Rika hurried away, her socked feet stamping on the floor with a mixture of anger and horror. She heard her grandmother call out to her, but she ignored her, instead hurling herself into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her. In the quiet of the bathroom, she stood there, taking a deep breath and leaned the back of her head against the door, collecting herself.

_Twenty-five dead… Sixty-two hurt… Takato and Kazu among them. Takato…_

She clenched her eyes shut angrily, a storm brewing in her heart before a gentle knock broke across it, scattering the clouds.

"Rika?" Seiko's voice came from the other side. "Are you in there?"

"Y-Yeah, Grandma, it's me," she responded shakily, cursing herself for sounding so. Turning around, she opened the door and offered the older woman something that looked halfway between a resigned grimace and a smile, the former of which felt more honest. Seiko nodded.

"You saw the news?"

"Yeah," Rika replied reluctantly. "Looks pretty bad, huh?"

"It does, yes." Reaching up, Seiko brushed a strand of hair out of Rika's face. "I'll get some miso soup ready for you and your friend. Is she…?"

Rika shook her head. "Not yet. She needs the rest more than me, and I'm not disturbing her."

Seiko's hand lowered, coming to rest with its twin and entwining their fingers together. Rika's gaze followed it, images from last night flashing through her mind. All the red blood, staining her belt and Henry's jacket and…

_Stop. Just…_ stop.

For the moment, it did.

"All right," Seiko nodded, offering the teen a small smile before stepping back. "Take your time. Breakfast will be waiting when you get out."

"Thanks, Grandma."

Rika closed the door behind her with a soft click, but didn't move just yet, instead standing there, gazing at the empty expanse of white paint. Instinctively, she reached out through her mental link with Renamon, feeling the distance between them, the kitsune still standing watch over Takato's hospital room, as asked of her before Rika and Jeri bedded down for the night. The world around her went dark, and she felt a trickle of something from the other end.

_Renamon?_

She received no answer, the vulpine digimon being too far away to receive or send any thoughts. The darkness receded, and Rika sighed, relaxing her hold on their connection.

_Might as well get this over with before Jeri wakes up,_ she thought with a touch of irritation.

**###**

Henry jerked to attention in his chair, snapping out of an unfit sleep as Terriermon leapt atop his head.

"Ah-wha…?! Who…?"

"It's about time!" the cream-furred digimon said, securing his position with his arm-like ears. "Henry, your mom's been calling you for breakfast and you just kept sitting here dozing in front of your computer." Frowning, he leaned forward atop his partner's head, gripping his hair for stability and peered at the computer screen. "What're you working on anyway? You were really focused on it last night."

He tilted his head to one side, taking in the shape of the wireframes. A crude, long and straight bar with a slight curve on one end, while on the other the bar widened and extended into five, smaller bars.

"Huh. You're making an arm for Takato? I thought you were going to talk to him about going to the digital world or something to wish it back."

"I'm…just trying to keep busy," Henry sighed. "And there's no guarantee that we'll be able to go to the digital world or even that the wish would work in the first place. Digignomes are…fickle, as you know. I guess I'm just trying to have a plan B ready in case things don't work out."

"Quite the pessimist," Terriermon replied as Henry rose up from his seat. "Takato pulled off quite a few miracles with wishes whenever he went to the digital world. Like biomerging with Guilmon for the first time."

"Yeah, but who knows if that's something that we can keep doing as we get older," Henry added, his hand falling to rest on the doorknob. "And there's the shock that he has to deal with too." His eyes narrowed in deep thought. "We don't know how this affected Takato psychologically. He's had a lot of brushes with death. We _all_ have, but this is the first time any of us outside of Jeri have had it so… _physical."_

His eyes rose up at Terriermon. "Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Hmmm… Yeah, I think so. But what makes you think that making a digital arm is going to help? Don't you need things like nerves and stuff like that to get it to work?"

Henry pulled the door open. "Like I said, it's just to keep me busy. And having a fallback plan doesn't hurt. Even if it doesn't help now, it might help later on down the road. We've got to take some steps somewhere and figure out what works first before we can make any progress."

"So when are you going to call Ryo?" Terriermon asked as they stepped out into the hallway. "You said that he…"

"Not now," Henry hushed, a slight frown on his face as he spied his family down the hall. "Later."

"All right, all right. Momentai, Henry. Sheesh."

Henry felt a little bad for cutting the conversation so short like that, and for wanting to keep the current plan regarding Ryo a secret from his family, especially his father. At least for the time being, when he was sure they had a workable plan on getting to and from the digital world relatively safely. Ryo hadn't denied that he could do so without the need for a preexisting portal or an arc, but he hadn't elaborated on it either, saying he needed some time to think it over and discuss things with Cyberdramon.

_I wonder why he needs to talk to Cyberdramon about going to the digital world,_ he thought, entering the kitchen, Terriermon hopping off and landing in the high chair next to him. _Does he need his help?_

There were a lot of things about Ryo and his time in the digital world that they didn't know about, and to this day he continued to not be very forthcoming about it.

**###**

Rika absently slid her hair into a ponytail and tied it off. Unlike in years past, this one did not stand up like a pineapple, giving the back of her head a sharp, spikey look. Instead, this one came down in one smooth motion, brushing up against the back of her neck whenever it swung around wildly or she looked down. She couldn't remember any reason behind making the change beyond simply wanting to, having done so when she started middle-school. She had almost… _almost…_ regretted the change, as Takato had taken notice of it straight away, staring at her alteration as though he were trying to work out a puzzle until she snapped at him, causing him to become a mess of fumbling apologies and blushes.

_Takato…_ She tightened her scrunchie and tilted her head to one side, gauging her appearance in the bathroom mirror before finally shrugging indifferently to it. Satisfied, she exited the bathroom, Renamon phasing into view next to her.

"You're back," the fire-haired girl noted, lifting an eyebrow.

"Apologies," Renamon bowed. "I felt you calling to me and as one of the nurses had arrived, I felt that Takato would be in good hands for the duration of my absence. Are you well?"

"Yeah," Rika nodded, turning toward the direction of her room. "I was just wondering how things were."

_Wanted to make sure Takato woke up in the morning,_ she thought, pressing her lips together.

"MarineAngemon's treatment seems to have helped," the vulpine digimon said, following after her. "He slept quite well it seems."

"I bet the medication had a lot to do with that," Rika said, entering her room, finding Jeri sitting up, blinking blearily and looking confused. The sun that had woken her up earlier now hovered over her pillow. Rika scowled, for once wishing she could punch the sun for disturbing her friend's rest. All thoughts of inflicting violence onto the giant ball of gas however vanished as Jeri's eyes lit up and she proceeded to scramble out of her futon.

"Renamon! H-How's Takato?"

"Fine for the present," Renamon nodded. "And yourself?"

"I-I'm okay," Jeri replied, running a hand through her hair, wincing as she found some tangles. An awkward silence fell between the two, one that had been there since last night, and seeing this, Rika stepped to the side, indicating the door.

"Might want to get into the bathroom before Mom does. She can take a while."

"Right," Jeri nodded, skating past her friend and down the hallway. Rika let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding and she made her way over to her dresser, pulling out clothes to wear for the day, wondering what would be appropriate for keeping an eye on Takato's partner. Jeans were a must as ever, but for as for a shirt…

_If he's digivolved, it'll be a good idea to wear something that's a little more durable,_ she thought, setting aside her aquamarine blouse. Not that she was a particular fan of that particular article of clothing, but she wore it once in a while as it _did_ look nice and was light enough for summer days like today. Lifting up a sleeveless tank top, she gave it a once over before setting it aside for…

_Oh._

Rika paused and reached in, drawing out an old shirt she hadn't seen in a long, long time. It was simple in appearance, with turquoise sleeves and a white body, broken only by a purple heart on its front. She ran a finger over the corner of the heart, her eyes softening before she again set it back down. Another gift from her mother, and one that had been her good luck charm for quite a number of battles.

_I'm too big for it now,_ she thought before briefly glancing down at herself. _In more ways than one._

Closing up her dresser, she glanced over at Renamon, who was presently watching her with a curious look to her gaze. She squirmed a little under the vulpine digimon's eyes and she hurriedly began to change.

"Do you mind keeping an eye on Takato a little bit longer today?" she asked. "At least until I get there to check in on him?"

"It won't be any trouble at all, if that's what you want." Renamon tilted her head to one side, an ear going lopsided in thought. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Rika felt her skin crawl rather uncharacteristically and pulled her shirt on.

"Renamon… You keep looking at me weird."

"I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable," the kitsune bowed. "I've just been thinking about last night. It seems to be much the same for everyone."

Rika winced, remembering how her mother had been rather tense last night, jumping at every electronic sound as though it were her digivice signaling another bio-emergence. It took much of the night, a bit of wine and a lot of talk from Jeri to help her relax even a little bit.

She felt a ping of jealousy at how her friend was able to bond so readily with her mother, but it vanished as readily as a passing breeze and didn't last long.

"We'll find a way to make things right," Rika said, picking up a belt – a new one to replace her old one – and buckled it on.

"Rika? What makes you so sure that we can?" Renamon asked, folding her arms together. Rika paused, wiping a hand along the length of her belt as if trying to rid it of some stain before shaking her head.

"I guess I'm not," she admitted. "I guess…I don't know. Maybe I'm just trying to tell myself that to make myself feel better. But Henry's got a plan, and this is a little easier to fix than Leomon, so I don't think it's bad to hope for _something_ good."

She looked over at her partner, her expression downcast. "Sounds kind of stupid, huh?"

"Perhaps more a little unrealistic," Renamon replied. "But no less strange than a talking fox, I suppose."

Rika tilted her head to one side, lifting an eyebrow at her partner before a small smile drew across her face.

"You're getting better at making jokes," she noted. "I guess I'm going to have to step up my game so you don't leave me behind."

A small smile appeared on Renamon's muzzle at that. "I wasn't aware that we were competing."

Rika's smile became a touch more natural at that and she looked away.

"We are now."

**###**

The miso soup finished and Jeri now bathed, the two friends stepped outside of the gate to Rika's home, Renamon adopting her human disguise as she joined them. Rika adjusted her wristbands anxiously before turning to her brown-haired friend.

"Well…" she began, shrugging, attempting to appear nonchalant and knowing full well that Jeri saw through the façade. "This is it."

"I wish we saw each other under better circumstances," Jeri said, her own expression looking a bit forlorn. "I wish…well. I've got a lot of wishes, don't I?"

Rika kicked at the ground and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Let's not make this mushy or anything. We'll see each other sometime when the world's not falling apart around us. The digital world can't keep making a mess _all_ the time. I… _Oof!"_

Rika found herself interrupted when Jeri launched herself at her and wrapped her arms about her, pulling her into a tight hug.

_"Jeri!"_

"Sorry," Jeri sniffed, giving her a quick squeeze before stepping away. "I know you said not to make it mushy, but I can't help it sometimes."

"Ugh." Rika rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept onto the corners of her lips regardless. It was practically impossible to be mad at Jeri or even annoyed at her for any significant length of time. "You're as bad as Gogglehead sometimes. Go on. Kiss his booboos or whatever it is you do to make him feel better. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

Rika felt her stomach churn at the childish word, but it was more than worth it to see Jeri's face bloom bright red at the mere mention of _kissing_ Takato.

"R-Rika! I-It's not… We're not…"

Rika felt something dark twist inside her at Jeri's sputtering denials, but she quickly squashed it.

"Right. Anyway, I'll catch up with you later. Say hi to Gogglehead for me and let him know that I'll be stopping by later to check in on him."

Jeri bobbed her head up and down, still blushing profusely. "Um… Rika?"

The fire-haired girl paused, lifting an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Jeri hesitated briefly before continuing.

"I just wanted to say, thanks again. For being there for him. It…" Her hands found each other and began to fidget in discomfort. "It really means a lot to me that you can do that."

The brunette put on a beaming, though strained smile as Rika felt herself grow cold inside. She was sure that it must have shown on her face because she saw Jeri's brow knot up, as if in confusion.

"You'd better give him a _big_ kiss when you see him," she said rather forcefully, turning away so as to not see Jeri's questioning gaze and have it prodding at the strings of her heart. "I'll be sure to ask about it when I stop by. Anyway, I'll see you later."

Lifting a hand in the air, Rika waved Jeri goodbye, leaving the girl standing there alongside Renamon, her eyes perplexed.

"Jeri?" Renamon asked, and the girl jumped with a squeak and whirled about.

"Um… Renamon?" she stammered out, quickly getting a hold of her emotions. The kitsune tilted her head to one side, waiting, only for Jeri to hesitate, rubbing her arm anxiously.

It didn't take her long to see that Jeri had something personal to ask on her mind but wasn't sure if she would be too forward in asking.

_Rika's behavior has been…off. Understandably so, and yet…_

"We have some time before we get to the hospital," she said, indicating the street with a subtle nod of her head. "Why don't we talk?"

"I…don't know…"

Renamon placed her human-like hand on the girl's shoulder, giving it a comfortable squeeze.

"It's fine," she said, casting a glance down in the direction of Rika's retreating form. "Perhaps you can help me understand things about Rika as well."

The vulpine's blue eyes flashed as she watched Rika disappear around the corner, heading off, alone, to the Matsuki bakery to keep an eye on Takato's partner.

_Rika…_ she thought, tightening her grip on Jeri's shoulder before the pair of them vanished into thin air.


	6. Chapter 6

Jeri sat on top of the roof, legs drawn up to her chest and a breathtaking view of the city lying below her. Renamon stood next to her, back in her digimon form, arms folded together. Shifting her arms around her legs, Jeri processed what Renamon had told her, about Rika's odd behavior about Takato's injury. On the surface, it was hardly surprising. Rika cared about her friends a great deal after all. Having _anything_ happen to even one of them – even someone she claimed to despise like Kazu or Ryo – hit her harder than she liked to let on. Yet, with Takato…

"I don't know," Jeri replied, with a shake of her head, causing Renamon to cast her gaze back down on her. "Rika's always had a bigger heart than she likes to show, and…and she cares a lot about Takato."

At that, Jeri tightened her grip around her legs, an old, familiar feeling of darkness rising up in her heart, a feeling that had risen only in recent years when she moved away and saw Takato less, while Rika saw him more. She quickly squashed it though, hating herself for the old jealousy. This was neither the time or place to indulge such emotions. Least of all with how hurt their friend currently was.

Still, a part of herself couldn't help but whisper its thoughts up at her from its deepest well, and she hugged her legs all the more tightly.

_If he and Rika were to be together…I'd be fine with it. She's…She's so strong. She can help him, and I…can't. Not in the way she can._

Renamon frowned slightly, a breeze playing along her golden fur. She slashed her tail through the air in agitation.

"Perhaps…" she began before sighing and shaking her head. "Perhaps I am making more of it than I should. Perhaps it is nothing more than just a normal concern for her friend."

"Or maybe not?" Jeri offered before flinching her gaze away from Renamon's azure, curious eyes. "I…I mean, they've gotten to be so close to each other lately."

Renamon tilted her head to one side questioningly, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I have been studying humans a great deal more closely since gaining some measure of mastery over my kohenkyo. It is my understanding that when someone your age is talking about how much closer two people have become, they are referring to something of a romantic nature. Is that what you're suggesting?"

Jeri fidgeted, her face blushing brightly.

"It…is kind of silly, isn't it? Sorry. I guess… My father is always telling me that I read too many romance stories. Maybe I'm just getting things mixed up because of that."

Renamon looked away thoughtfully.

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. Rika has rarely spoken of such things to me and I have never asked. The only thing that I know for certain though is that after we biomerged and became Sakuyamon for the first time, she changed a great deal. Perhaps this is just a part of that change. Or perhaps it is as you suggest."

The kitsune glanced at Jeri once more.

"You have an interest in Takato if I'm not mistaken. Are you well with that?"

At that, Jeri's cheeks blossomed bright red once more and she did her best to keep from squirming under Renamon's penetrating gaze.

"I-It's not as if I can… I mean, yeah, I'm…I'm fine with that." Looking up at the vulpine digimon, Jeri put on a smile. "They're my best friends. Of course, I'd be happy for them."

"Hmmm…" Renamon contemplated the girl for a moment, humming thoughtfully. "You humans are indeed…odd. 'Happy for them' doesn't quite answer my question. But I'll leave that alone for now."

_Oh Rika…_ she thought sadly, her hands tightened briefly once more about her legs before relaxing.

**###**

Takato bit back a curse as he surveyed his work on the small pad of paper the hospital staff had lent him. The drawing stared back at him, seeming to mock him with jagged lines that screwed in odd ways, wavering constantly off course and never falling into anything that he could call remotely 'good.'

_This is worse than anything I drew as a kid,_ he thought bitterly before flipping the sheet over, burying the drawing behind a number of pages containing drawings and scribblings of hiragana and kanji. Patient. He _needed_ to be patient, just like the nurse told him. It would take at least a month of nearly constant work just to get his off arm to function properly when it came to writing, teaching it to do as his right. Drawing however… He wondered if that would ever come back to him.

_I sometimes colored with both hands when I was younger and in a hurry,_ he thought. _But that was a while ago before I got serious about my art. And ol' lefty could never stay in the lines anyway. I…_

Clenching his teeth, Takato groaned and dropped the pen and pad as his stump throbbed. Pressing his hand against it, he massaged along the edge of the injury, doing his best to avoid causing himself any more pain than he already experienced. The effects of MarineAngemon's healing hearts, it seemed, had worn off, leaving his nerves to pulse and seethe angrily at him. The temptation to hit the button that would deliver pain killing medicine into him burned strong within him, but he resisted it.

_Ghost hand…_ he thought, feeling invisible fingers flexing as they would if they were still there. He glanced over at the empty bed next to him. Kazu was gone; his parents having stopped by, picked him up and wheeling him out, the teen vowing to drop by to see him at the earliest chance he could get. The silence of the room, even with the sounds of orderlies and nurses moving about outside was rather…apparent without the normally loudmouthed boy to share space with. Now that he thought about it, Takato hadn't known quiet for quite some time.

_Guilmon…_ Takato's heart ached, thinking about his best friend and what he must be going through, unable to talk to him, having to wait for him to come home for however long he was going to be kept here, the one place where digimon _weren't_ allowed to go.

_Poor guy. It must be driving him crazy. I bet he's already hatching a plan to dig his way into the hospital and find me._

He repressed a chuckle. That _did_ sound like something Guilmon would do, but being the good digimon that he was, in spite of the occasional raid of the school cafeteria, he felt certain that such wouldn't be the case.

_Maybe if I called home using one of the hospital phones…?_ he wondered. Guilmon's claws weren't exactly suited for picking up phones and pressing buttons, but he did try once in a while.

_Well, it's not like I was told that I couldn't call home or anything,_ he thought, glancing over at the phone sitting next to his bed. _And it's still early enough. I can make a call._

Rolling over, he picked the phone up from off the receiver and after dialing, he fitted it between his right shoulder and ear, taking care to make sure that it was situated properly so that it wouldn't drop or anything. He wondered if his parents were still at the bakery. If so, that would make things easier. If not…

_Well, we'll burn that bridge when we get there._

Time passed, and after catching the answering machine, he sighed.

"Hey, Guilmon," he began at the sound of the beep. It's Takato. Just thought I'd give you a call and, you know, check in on you and stuff. I'm sure it's probably lonely for you but keep it together boy. I'll be out before you know it. So…until then…"

Takato wiped at his eyes, realizing that he had begun to tear up. Forcing on a smile, he lifted his head, gazing at the window. For a moment, he saw movement flash on the rooftop across from him, but he saw nothing.

_Probably just a trick of the eyes,_ he thought. _Or Renamon. Yeah. Probably Renamon._

"…A-Anyway," he continued. "Like I said, I'll see you when I get out. I'll try giving you a call later. Take care of Mom and Dad, okay? And…uh… Take care of yourself too, buddy."

Fumbling for words and finding many of them inadequate, Takato hung up and set the phone back on the hook.

_Is Guilmon okay?_ he wondered. _Rika said that he was sleeping off the fight last night. Could he still be doing that? I mean, we both got knocked around pretty hard…_

He shuddered as his stump throbbed once more, this time worse than before and he clutched at it tightly, teeth clenching tightly against one another. After what felt like an eternity, the pain passed, and he released his grip on his arm.

There came a knock at the door.

Looking up, he saw Jeri standing at the entrance, one foot raised so that it balanced on the toes, and a small, worried, but cute smile touching her lips. Takato felt his heart skip a beat at the sight and he felt a smile of his own drawing across his face.

"H-Hey, Jeri," he began, getting up from off the bed to properly greet her.

**###**

Jeri found herself hurrying over to Takato as he began to stand up, quickly planting her hands on his shoulders and pushing down. _Gently,_ of course, but with enough strength to get the message across.

"You're supposed to be resting," she insisted, adding a verbal command in case the teen was slow getting the message. Jeri knew that could certainly be the case, as Takato tended to be a bit thick in the head. It was one of his best qualities, but also one of his worst.

"Actually, the doctor said that this sort of thing can be good for me," Takato replied with a bit of a laugh. "Well, I mean, yeah I'm supposed to be resting, but exercise is going to be good for me. Especially for…uh…this little guy here." He waved his stump indicatively and put on a smile so false that Jeri felt her heart crack a little at it. "Something about keeping the muscles from shrinking or something, I guess. I don't really get it, but they said it was important."

"Hmmm…" Jeri frowned at that before the two of them noticed that her proximity and her touch. Both teens blushed, remembering the kiss on the cheek that she gave him last night, and Jeri took a step back, one hand wrapping itself around her wrist tightly, remembering her earlier discussion with Renamon. The air felt thick with their warmth, leaving the brown-haired girl feeling flustered.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I…guess I'm just worried. I'm not used to you being…being hurt like this."

It sounded like a lame thing to say, and she wanted to kick herself for saying it.

"It's not your fault," Takato replied, his tone gentle. "A-Actually," he continued, scratching the back of his head, "if anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. I mean, it was kind of a dumb move after all…"

"Renamon says there wasn't a whole lot of choice," Jeri pointed out. Takato made a futile gesture with his remaining hand before it dropped down into his lap.

"I know. But there probably was a better one. Now I've affected the whole team and Guilmon got hurt." He narrowed his eyes, his remaining hand curling into a fist. "If I hadn't been having so much trouble with Crimson Mode…"

_He's going to insist on taking responsibility for what happened,_ she thought. A typical Takato-thing for him to do, and another thing she always liked about him when they were children. Yet there was something in this that felt… _wrong_ to her.

_It's…just like what happened to me in the D-Reaper,_ she thought with sudden realization, her body going stiff. A second later she felt a flash of anger. After _everything_ she told him about what happened to her while she was held captive by that hellish entity, he was going to follow the same path and hold himself to blame for everything that happened or _might_ happen?

_Then again, it wouldn't be Takato if he didn't realize it…_

"What's happened, happened," she said, approaching Takato and sitting herself down next to him on his left side. Her fingers found his, touching them lightly, hesitantly, as if afraid to hurt him. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened. You did the best you could."

She studied his face, hoping for some sign that her words were getting through to him. His eyes, those normally warm, caring eyes of his however remained distant and turned inward, storm clouds brewing inside their depths. She remembered seeing this look on his face so often when they were kids, when the Devas were rampaging throughout the city, and when they were in the digital world trying to rescue Calumon. While Takato had never been officially called the leader of the Digimon Tamers, he often carried the weight of responsibility for the team as though he were. Even now, she could read it in his face. In spite of her words, he was taking the responsibility on himself.

_"If I hadn't been having so much trouble with Crimson Mode…"_

"You know, Rika blames herself for what happened to you," she began, picking up the threads of conversation. At this, Takato was jolted out of his thoughts, crimson eyes wide with surprise.

"W-What?!" he sputtered out. "Why?! That's crazy! Why would she think…? There's _no way_ that she's…"

He blinked as his eyes met hers, and realization clicked on in his mind, seeing what Jeri had done.

"Oh."

"The two of you are a lot alike," Jeri said, her fingers creeping over his. "Well, at least when it comes to that sort of thing. You _both_ think you should do better and protect everyone and keep everything from happening so no one ever gets hurt ever."

Her eyes shimmered and she blinked back the tears, looking away. _Maybe… Maybe that's why Rika's acting the way she is…_

Oh, how she wanted to be mad at herself for feeling jealous.

"But…sometimes, things happen and people get hurt no matter how hard you try."

At that, Takato turned his hand over and took hers into his palm. His grip was strong, and that, oddly was comforting.

"I'm going to _keep_ trying though," he said firmly. "No matter what."

Turning her moist eyes back toward him, she found herself smiling. There. That look in his eyes. Fierce, defying defeat… It was another thing about him that she loved, that no matter what, even when he fell, he would find a way to get back up and stand against whatever the world threw at him if it meant protecting those he cared about. It was good to see that fire hadn't been dampened.

"Just remember that we're all here to help," Jeri beamed, blinking back her tears as she tightened her own grip around Takato's hand.

**###**

Rika arrived at the bakery, finding Takato's parents already locking the door behind them as they exited through the side door. Seeing her, Takehiro and Mie nodded to her and gave her a small smile. A front, she knew, but one that she didn't feel offended by, given the circumstances.

"Morning," she said, leaving out the 'good' portion, not feeling that there was anything of the sort involved and silently cursed the day for looking so nice.

"Good timing," Takehiro noted while next to him Mie _harrumphed._

"She's always been good at that," the Matsuki matriarch said, a touch of approval in her tone. Rika looked toward her, noting that she had a more genuine smile on her face. "Thank you for doing this, by the way. I'm sure Guilmon would appreciate the company."

"He's digivolved?" Rika asked. Takehiro and Mie both nodded.

"A little bit after we got him home and fed," Takehiro replied. "Fair warning, he's a bit anxious right now, worrying about Takato and all, so he might be a little bit hard for you to deal with."

Rika grimaced inwardly at that. Her impatience and low tolerance for being verbally poked and prodded on a nigh constant basis were well known in the bakery and had gotten her in trouble in her early days on the register.

"Thanks," she said, steeling herself for what was ahead. "I'll keep that in mind. I…" She hesitated, pressing her lips together before continuing. "I had Renamon keep an eye on Takato while he slept. She says that he's up now and a nurse is looking in on him."

At that, Mie's eyebrows rose, and Rika could see just from the way she locked her hands together that it was all she could do to keep from rushing over to her and try and wrangle any information about her 'little boy' that she could get out of his friend.

"H-He's…?" she quavered before taking a breath to steady herself. "Well…of course he is. We saw that yesterday, right? Kenta's partner really _can_ work miracles after all."

_Except for the part about his arm,_ Rika thought. She frowned inwardly at the dark thought, hating herself for having it. It wasn't Kenta or MarineAngemon's fault that there was a limit to what they could do together. Humans and digimon were just different and that couldn't be changed, digivolution notwithstanding.

"I'm sure he's going to be fine," she said. "I mean, it's Takato. He's always picking himself up after hitting a rough spot. This…" She paused, looking back at the Matsuki's and then sighed. "Sorry. I'm not very good at this, am I?"

Mie offered the girl a sympathetic smile.

"It's all right," she said, placing a gentle hand on Rika's arm and giving it a soft squeeze. "Takato's very lucky to have such good friends always looking after him."

Rika felt her hands twitch and draw themselves into tight fists. Sensing the tension running through the girl, Mie pulled her into a hug, causing the teen to go rigid with surprise. Mie had _never_ hugged her before, or for that matter anyone other than her immediate family. If anything, after all the time spent working for her, Rika had been under the impression that Mie hadn't thought much of her, even as one of her son's closest friends.

_Especially after that one fight we had…_

Awkwardly though, Rika's hands rose to Mie's back and enclosed around the larger woman, returning the hug. After what felt like an eternity, Mie pulled back and sniffed.

"Thank you for all of your hard work, and especially for looking after my son. I know that's a bit of a job and a half as well, but you have no idea how much it's appreciated."

Rika lowered her arms, resisting the urge to squirm under the woman's gaze. Shrugging instead, she attempted to appear nonchalant about the compliment.

"It's…It's not really," she said, discomfort washing over her.

"Either way," Takehiro said, placing an arm around his wife's shoulder. "Your help is appreciated. Anyway, we'll see you later. Take care of things until then. Usual rules apply."

"Right," Rika nodded. _No using the bakery section without supervision._

As the Matsuki's headed off, Mie giving Rika a wave as they went, Rika's hand settled into her pocket where they came across the bakery key that lay within, a spare that Takehiro entrusted to her some months ago after many grueling weeks of work manning the register, stocking shelves and working in the back with Mie watching her like a hawk.

_Might as well get this over with,_ she sighed mentally, wishing she were at the hospital now to check up on her friend, but at the moment, his partner needed to be seen to. Heading over to the door, she pushed the key into the lock and let herself in. Almost at once, the smell of baked bread washed over her, filling her with a comforting sense of warmth, and with it, a feeling that had a name all its own.

Home.

"Guilmon?" she called, closing the door behind her. From upstairs, she heard the sound of digimon-thunder that she expected, and sure enough, Guilmon came crashing down the stairs. Gone was the tiny red-ball with stumpy legs. Now the digimon stood grown into a tall, crimson-scaled, muscular dinosaur with claws and a stomach emblazoned with a hazard symbol. Yet below his wing-like ears, those same gold-colored eyes, wide and child-like in their innocence, fell on her with friendly eagerness and worry.

"Rika!" he exclaimed, trotting over to her, his long tail swishing behind him. "You're here! I mean, I knew you would be since Takato's mom and dad said you were coming, I just…um…" Pausing, he sniffed the air and looked at Rika questioningly. "No Renamon?"

"She's keeping an eye on your partner," she replied, placing a hand on his head. Guilmon nuzzled her palm, breathing deep her scent, trying to parse out any 'stories' that might be there. Rika let him, knowing how much the world of smells meant to him when it came to informing him of the goings on in the world.

"She smells worried," he said. "You and Jeri too."

"We all are," Rika acknowledged, kneeling down so that they were more on eye level. "The two of you got hit pretty hard. How're you holding up?"

She looked at Guilmon carefully. He _looked_ fine, and his speech patterns were back to normal as well, no longer referring to her as 'Rikamon' or anything else out of the ordinary. It could be hard to tell with digimon sometimes. They took hits differently from humans and could easily look normal on the outside but have something in their code scrambled.

"I'm fine. I've got a pretty hard head. I'm just worried about Takato. Takato's dad said that MarineAngemon helped him, but he still has to be at the hospital."

"Just for a few days. He's…going to look a little bit different when you see him."

Guilmon's expression became downcast. "I know. Takato's mom told me. But as long as he's okay…"

"We'll see." Rika's expression became firm as Guilmon trailed off uncertainly. "He might not be all right in other ways that we can't see. Kind of like how things were for Jeri. We'll need to keep an eye on him."

Guilmon nodded. "Help him when he needs it." He pouted and looked away. "You're lucky, Rika. You get to see him later, and I can't."

"Waiting for him to get out isn't going to be easy, that's for sure." Sighing, she wondered briefly what they were going to do now that she was here. They could watch TV or movies, but the selection Takato and his parents had was rather limited, and Guilmon, like all digimon, were speed readers once they all learned how to read and had a good memory for anything other than when they last ate – often being a few minutes ago.

_I bet he's already gone through Takato's manga collection several times by now,_ she thought, musing on potential activities. _And it's not like we can bake bread right now, so his favorite pastime is out. Well, except for chasing squirrels in the park…_

A light turned on in her mind, and she stood up.

"Come on," she said. "Let's head down to the park and see if we can't get your mind off things. I'll play with you."

Guilmon's eyes went _wide_ at that, leaving her to wonder with some trepidation as to how good of an idea this could be.


	7. Chapter 7

Rika felt a bead of sweat crawl down her forehead as she held her breath, straining her ears for the slightest sound of movement. Muscles already tense from crouching low for the last five minutes coiled as the telltale sign of a twig snapping underfoot signaled Guilmon's approach.

_He's definitely not subtle,_ she thought, feeling her lips curve slightly at that. _Just like his partner._

Her good humor fell at that, but she didn't have time to dwell on it for very long as the crimson dinosaur came into view, a fanged grin on his face as his golden eyes sparkled.

"Found you…!" he began, but Rika didn't give him time to finish. Like a lion pouncing on its prey, Rika burst forth from the brush that served as her hiding spot and crashed into Guilmon, full force. In spite of the dinosaur's larger weight and mass, Guilmon fell back, surprised by the ferocity of Rika's attack. The girl smirked, rolling over onto her feet.

"Now to see if you can _catch_ me," she taunted before breaking off into a run. Guilmon's head fell back onto the dirt of the park path, watching her sprint for a moment before rolling over himself and quickly taking off after her. Rika pounded her feet even harder, quickening her pace to keep ahead. Guilmon wasn't quite as fast as her, but he was no slouch when it came to running and had far more muscle and stamina to aid him in the chase.

_Uphill,_ she thought, suddenly veering left, much to Guilmon's surprise, and dawning realization. On a flat road, Guilmon could easily chase after her and wait for her to get tired, but going uphill… Things changed drastically then, and all that muscle weight that helped propel the reptile after her would begin to work against him.

"Rikaaa…" the dinosaur called out loudly, groaning as he half-tumbled after her, attempting to keep to her course. "Slow down!"

"Come and get me, Dinoboy," Rika shouted at him over her shoulder, keeping her tone playful. As playful as she could at any rate. While running, she passed far, _far_ too many familiar spots that, in the past, seemed unimportant to her. There, a place where she and Takato met up to go catch a movie together. A bench where she found Takato and Guilmon eating a snack together. A patch of flowers where Takato watched his partner sniffing about, perplexed as to what he was looking for. And another spot, where she found Takato swinging a stick at his partner, playing some kind of fantasy game…

And on they went, Rika passing them by, her feet hitting the ground all the harder to leave them behind as quickly as she could, Guilmon's cries long gone to her now until she hit the bars to the Rookie's former home and hideout. She gasped for breath, her chest heaving as she grabbed hold of the bars, using them to support herself for a moment while she recovered. Memories faded, returning her to the world of the present and she heard the sound of Guilmon's approach, his own breathing laborious and loud.

_No subtlety,_ she thought, turning around so she would face him, an exhausted smile on her face and her bangs plastered to her forehead. A sheen of sweat stood out prominently on her skin and she nodded to the dinosaur triumphantly.

"I win," she announced, and Guilmon pouted.

"No fair," he replied. "You jumped at me like a Tigermon."

"All's fair in love and war, Guilmon," Rika said in response, reaching out to the gate door and pulling it open. "Come on. Let's cool off."

Guilmon let out an excited, "Yaaay!" as she led him into the shade of his bunker, wherein lay a watercooler that she packed up from the Matsuki bakery. Popping open the lid, she unscrewed a bottle of water and took a quick drink of water before proceeding to pour it over her head. Her skin tingled with instant relief and she curled her toes inside her shoes. Taking out another water bottle, she repeated the act with Guilmon, making sure to spread the water out evenly along the length of his body.

They had been playing a game similar to Hide and Go Seek, with the added rule that the one who was found had to run back to the hideout in order to be 'safe.' It was a childish game, but then, Guilmon could hardly be said to be anything other than childish himself. For as long as Rika knew the crimson dinosaur, Guilmon maintained a certain childlike innocence and enjoyment of the sort of games they played in their youth. This wasn't to say that he was forever immature, far from it. Guilmon, despite being four years old now, held a certain down to earth wisdom that cut past the complexities that Takato – and often everyone – made for themselves. It was one of the things that she came to appreciate about the reptile over the years. At times, he reminded her of Renamon.

_If Renamon ate a lot of bread and chased squirrels at every opportunity anyway,_ she thought in bemusement as Guilmon bumped up against her leg, crooning in response to the cold water she poured over him.

"Hey, not so close," she admonished, and Guilmon promptly backed away.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. Just don't get too close when you're like this." Taking a step back, Rika surveyed her friend. "How's that?"

In response, Guilmon made a low, humming sound before tensing up. Rika's eyes went wide with horror, recognizing it for what it was.

_"Guilmon! Don't you dare…!"_

Her warning came too late as the Rookie-level digimon went off like a water suffused bomb, sending a spray of water flying everywhere as he shook himself off. Rika sputtered and cursed upon finding herself taking an impromptu shower, and when it was all over, she fixed Takato's partner with a fearsome glare.

"Guilmon…"

"Sorry!" Guilmon immediately wilted, his ears drooping down against his head. "I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, so I guessed," Rika sighed, looking down at herself in exasperation. "Well, at least I'm cleaner."

Guilmon lit up upon seeing that he wasn't about to get yelled at.

"And sexier!" he chirped, hoping to smooth out the ruffled feathers. His hopes were quickly dashed however as the girl looked at him first in bafflement, and in the blink of an eye, her expression quickly transformed to something resembling anger.

_"Excuse_ me?" she asked. While no stranger to Guilmon's bizarre, naive questions, she couldn't help but wonder just _what_ was going through his mind on _this_ particular topic.

It seemed Guilmon was now thinking something along similar lines.

_Uh oh…_ Guilmon thought, instinctively backing away from the now-irate teenager. A thousand memories of Takato's confrontations with Rika's infamous temper flashed through his mind, very little of which was helpful in coming up with a way to defuse the situation. Still, if there was one thing that Takato _did_ teach him, it was to be truthful.

The truth might hurt a little bit at first, but where Rika was concerned, she could forgive an honest mistake, especially one made in ignorance.

"Ah… Did I say something wrong? I heard Kazu say something like that once after that time we went to the beach. He…He said all girls look sexier when they're wet. I don't really get it and Takato would only get embarrassed when I asked him about it, but it sounded kind of nice. Like being called pretty, only…different?"

He held Rika's eyes for a moment, and when it passed, the girl sighed, her anger evaporated into annoyance.

"Kazu…" she grumbled. "Of course, it _had_ to be _Kazu."_

"I said something wrong, didn't I?"

"No, Guilmon. It's just…" Rika ran a hand through her bangs and groaned in frustration.

Guilmon tilted his head to one side in confusion at this. "This is one of those weird human things, isn't it?"

Reaching out with one hand, Rika patted Guilmon's head. "Trust me, Guilmon. This is _one_ area about humans where I'd rather you stay naïve in."

"Huh? But why? Takato won't tell me, and he made Kazu promise not to say anything either."

"That doesn't mean _I'm_ going to say anything," Rika huffed, moving past the digimon and setting herself down at the entrance to the concrete bunker.

"But why?" Guilmon asked, padding on over to the girl and sitting himself down. "Kazu made it sound like being sexy was nice." His ears flapped slightly and he tapped his chin with one claw. "I wonder if I'm sexy. Rika, do I look sexy when I'm wet?"

Rika looked at the dinosaur with a deadpan expression before patting his back companionably.

"That's for Takato to tell you when he gets out of the hospital."

Guilmon's head hung forlornly as he thought about his partner.

"I miss him," he moaned. "Do you think he'll ever get out of the hospital?"

Her expression softening, Rika placed a hand behind his neck, massaging the tense muscles beneath his scales soothingly.

"I'm pretty sure they don't want him living there. He just needs to get a bit better first, that's all. You just need to be patient."

"I know." Guilmon looked down. Takato's absence was clearly a bitter pill for him to swallow, and Rika found herself admiring him for his restraint in keeping himself from tunneling into the hospital to find him. Opening her water bottle, she took a deep drink from it, wondering if there was some way they could get Guilmon inside, if only for a little bit.

_Maybe the windows,_ she thought. She hadn't taken a close look at them during her previous visit, but perhaps…?

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Rika paused at that, giving Guilmon's question the weighty consideration it deserved.

"I don't know," she admitted. "He tried not to show it last night, but…you know how he is." Her fingers tightened around the bottle, causing the plastic to make a loud, crinkling sound. "He's like an open book. He might as well have said, "I'm not okay but I don't want anyone to worry about me."" She _harrumphed_ irritably and looked to the side. "He's picked up one of _my_ annoying habits."

_Just like…I have some of his,_ she mused, taking a deep breath.

Guilmon looked at her, perplexed. "But…you're not annoying. You're fun!"

Rika glanced at the reptile before _harrumphing_ again.

"Aren't _I_ supposed to be the one trying to help you feel better?"

"So? That doesn't mean that I can't do the same. You're my friend! And I know Takato wouldn't want you to be upset either. We help each other, right?"

Rika held Guilmon's gaze for a moment before looking away. Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes. Seeing this, Guilmon reached out tentatively and brushed a claw against her face where a tear had slipped free, causing the girl to jerk back.

"What are you…?"

"Your eye was leaking." Guilmon pressed his lips together. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rika furiously wiped at her eyes again. "You know…" she began, her voice thick. "I used to wonder if you ever held a grudge for…back then. When I tried to kill you."

"Huh? But why would I do that? We became friends later, didn't we?"

Rika barked a harsh laugh at that before sniffing again. "Don't _ever_ change, Guilmon. I mean it."

"Hmmm… I promise to always be me, no matter what."

"That's good. Keeping promises… I know you can do that."

Once again, Guilmon tilted his head at her. Something about the way she said that…

"You sound like you broke a promise. Why?"

"I…" Rika paused, biting her lip. "Jeez… I'm _supposed_ to be the one helping _you!"_

"Um… Maybe you could help me by telling me what's bothering you?" Guilmon suggested. It was a very typical 'Takato-ish' question and one that Takato himself had used over the years. A sort of roundabout way of trying to get her to open up whenever she became upset about something but wouldn't talk about it. It was something of a game they developed between the two of them.

_Funny… I always used to hate it when he did that. Now… I kind of realize how much I liked it._ Appreciated _it. As annoying as he could be, he…cared._

Rika took a deep breath and closed her eyes, weighing her options. She didn't much like the thought of talking about what weighed heavily on her heart, least of all telling it to someone who wasn't as close to her as Renamon was. Renamon, who was like a sister to her.

Yet, she wasn't here, and Guilmon was. Guilmon liked helping people, and in his own way, through logic only he could truly understand, helping her _was_ how she could help him.

Twisted reasoning, but Guilmon could hardly be called logical in the traditional sense. He was _very_ down to earth after all and often only knew how he himself felt and responded to those feelings accordingly.

She lapsed into silence, wrestling with her feelings, until, finally, she spoke.

"You don't breathe a word about this, got it?"

"Is it about Takato?" Guilmon asked, nodding. Rika shifted uncomfortably.

"Who else would it be? He's pretty much the only thing on my mind right now."

"Because he's hurt?"

"What _other_ reason would there…?" She paused and glowered at Guilmon. _"Not_ that!"

"Huh?" Guilmon blinked, taken aback. "Not what?"

_Stupid… He really_ is _too innocent…_ she blushed hotly before looking away.

"Forget it." Rika drew a leg up and wrapped an arm around it, hugging it close to her. She remained silent for a moment longer before continuing. "He got hurt because of me. Because I left him alone."

"I don't understand. You're not always around him all the time, so why…?"

"Not like that!" Rika said bitterly. Heat in her eyes welled up and began to spill out over her walls, causing her vision to blur. "Because… Because I wasn't there to keep him from doing something stupid or to back him up! Because I wasn't…!"

The girl was interrupted by the sound of her digivice screaming abruptly. Shooting to her feet just as Guilmon's pupils dilated, she snatched it up from off her belt, activating the holographic compass. It swung around briefly before halting. She looked up in the direction of the compass arrow, finding a distant plume of black smoke rising into the air, followed by a dull thud.

"The hospital…" Rika breathed in horror, her mind racing. It _couldn't_ be, and yet…

As if her words were a signal, Guilmon was off like a shot, snarling. Rika quickly chased after him, her heart banging away, terrified about what she might find once she got there.

_Please… Not again. Don't let it happen again because I'm not there! I promised I'd_ be _there for him!_

She felt for Renamon through their bond, but all she received was a jumbled mess, something that at once terrified her and angered her. Her feet slammed into the dirt ground, as if punishing it for this unfair turn of events. This _couldn't_ happen! Not again!

_It won't!_ she told herself fiercely, yet a part of herself found herself wondering – _doubting –_ that would be so. That instead, she would find a smoking ruin, and Takato, his parents and Jeri all dead because she hadn't been there to protect them.

Her fingers tightened about her digivice until they became bone white. She felt a blackness rising up inside her heart, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if she found her fears confirmed, there would be no force on Earth or the digital world that would stop her from wreaking havoc on those responsible.


	8. Chapter 8

Ryo ran a towel through his hair as he stepped out of the bathroom. He felt considerably more refreshed compared to last night, though the stitches in his head still bothered him a little bit. He was alone in the house, his father having left for work at the brink of dawn and his mother following sometime after. The silence felt…odd in a way, and somehow that made him nervous. An oddity, as he was used to being alone, save for the company of Cyberdramon and the howling wind blowing sand in his ears.

_The digital world has its quiet moments,_ he thought. _At least when it's not throwing a gigantic dragon at you that wants to load your data. And that's just the problem, isn't it? I don't really fit in here anymore. Even when I'm home in the real world, alone, or with others, I keep looking over my shoulder. I keep listening for the sound of my digivice warning me we're about to be attacked._

He wasn't normal. He had known that for some years now, and especially became more aware of it since turning sixteen, where the world of adults began to close in on him. When asked what he wanted to do with his life or what his career plans were, he often had to stop himself short of answering, _"Make sure Cyberdramon doesn't kill everybody."_

Now at nineteen, he felt as though he were beginning to realize just how abnormal he was.

Fingering his stitches, he made his way into the kitchen and turned on the radio so that he could at least have some noise to fill the quiet, finding Monodramon, a purple-scaled reptile and Rookie level form of his partner, Cyberdramon, seated at the table, and a gigantic mess all about him and on the stove.

Ryo stood there for a moment as he took in the scene before him, somewhat unphased by it before sighing and continuing on, taking care to step around the ruins of an egg yolk and something that _could_ have been bacon if one squinted really hard, before grabbing up some paper towels.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not allowed to use the stove?"

"Um…a lot?" Monodramon replied, his drill-like claws poking at the remains of his scrambled eggs.

"Rookie or Ultimate, you still end up causing trouble for me…" Ryo knelt down and tore off the first of what would prove to be a long Christmas list of paper towels, beginning to wipe up the mess on the floor.

"Sorry." Monodramon's eyes fell. "But I was hungry. There wasn't anyone else around, and you were in the bathroom, so I thought that if I just played around with things, I could figure it out."

Ryo grimaced as he lifted the towel off the floor, taking with it a long, yellow, syrupy mess that he didn't even _want_ to identify.

"Tell you what," he began, crumping the disgusting sight up. "I'll forgive you on this score if you tell me if our _friend_ has given any further thought about Henry's idea."

The pair exchanged looks, both knowing which _friend_ they were talking about. The very same one who allowed them to move in and out of the digital world, and who often required a great deal of handling whenever Monodramon digivolved to his Ultimate form of Cyberdramon.

The very same one who caused so much trouble, that Ryo had to relocate to a slightly different reality in the hopes of escaping their past.

"He's…kind of sleeping right now," Monodramon replied, scratching at his chin in embarrassment. Ryo pressed his lips together, a touch annoyed by that.

"So, he's blowing me off." Ryo got to his feet and tore off another paper towel. "First, he wouldn't leave me alone, and _now_ he wants to avoid me. Man, Milleniummon really is confusing sometimes, isn't he? And I thought Rika was bad."

"Does that mean Milleniummon is like an ex-girlfriend?" Monodramon asked, causing Ryo to bark a harsh laugh.

"Not really," he responded. "I don't know _what_ Rika and I were, but I'm pretty sure we _weren't_ that."

A wry smile touched his features as he continued his work, thoughts of the fire-haired girl and her awkward, amusing and sometimes exasperating behavior flitting through his mind. In spite of their comradery, she seemed determined to be at odds with him, although why this was, he couldn't begin to fathom. At least, not anymore. The match he defeated her in was so long ago, and they had more than their fair share of moments together fighting back to back, sharing each other's power…even _dating_ briefly, though neither she nor Ryo seemed to expect much to come from it due to the sheer distance between them. Cyberdramon was fine with skipping dimensions at times to get where they needed to go quickly, but he wouldn't allow himself to be used as a taxi.

Rika even acknowledged as much as well, though that largely went unsaid, as was normal for her. He briefly wondered if her continued grudge was just her way of ensuring that the distance between them remained as it were, but he quickly brushed it aside. He didn't know with any certainty, and the likelihood of Rika confirming anything he asked regarding her feelings for him stood at absolute zero. Any further ponderance felt pointless.

"Well," Ryo began, opting to change the topic of conversation. "I'd like to know at some point what Milleniummon thinks of Henry's idea. Me and a whole _lot_ of people actually."

"I'm pretty sure he knows," Monodramon said, chewing on some kind of… _gummy_ substance amidst what counted as his breakfast. "But you know how he is."

"Yeah," Ryo nodded. "Yeah I do."

Continuing his work, Ryo listened to the radio. So far, it seemed as though it was going to be a pleasant day…

_"Breaking news from Eye on Digimon!"_ the radio squawked as a newscaster interrupted the station. _"Reports are coming in that a digimon has appeared again in Shinjuku. According to sources, the creature in question is of another form as the same one that attacked last night. We will continue to report as the situation develops…"_

Ryo and Monodramon surged to their feet, all thoughts of their conversation, the mess and previous concerns evaporating in the heat of the moment.

"Looks like it's fighting time again," Ryo said as they both ran toward the door.

_Never a dull day over at Shinjuku…_

**###**

" _You deleted my family…"_

That was the first thing Takato heard as the smoke filling his hospital room began to abate, a sharp breeze clearing the air just enough for both himself and Jeri to breathe properly while, distantly, he heard the sound of pained coughing.

" _Jeri!"_ Takato's hand felt about urgently, blinking back tears that had sprung up from the explosion that hit him, and quickly found Jeri's. Their fingers clasped around one another, and his vision clearing, he saw the brown-haired girl kneeling alongside him, her face covered with dust.

"I-I'm fine," she coughed again. It was a worrisome sound, and not one that gave Takato any confidence as to her condition. However, before he could enquire, the room shuddered, and a clawed hand swept inside, smashing aside the beds and giving the two teens a clear view of their attacker. Takato's mouth fell agape immediately, recognizing the black horns and fiery mane of Diaboromon, eyes radiating hatred as he clung to the broken hole in the hospital.

_"Jeri! Get out of he-!"_ Takato began, only to be interrupted as Diaboromon's hand snapped out and grasped Takato by the leg and giving him a hard _yank._ Jeri cried out in surprise as she clasped hold of Takato's hand with _both_ of hers, but with nothing to hold onto, she could only find herself being dragged alongside the boy. Takato's fingers squirmed, trying desperately to dislodge her grip, to at least keep her from being taken as well, but true to her lion's heart, she held firm, kicking at the floor with her feet in the hopes of finding something with which to anchor them. Not that it mattered, for soon enough Diaboromon pulled them up into the air, so that they were dangling before the digimon's eyes.

_"Let go!"_ Takato yelled, but not to Diaboromon. His fingers continued to struggle and twist, trying _desperately_ to get Jeri to let him go so that she wouldn't share his fate, but this made her cling all the harder.

_"I will_ not!" she shouted up at him, dangling from his arm like a marionet. Diaboromon simply chuckled, at their helplessness and infighting.

"Found you…"he growled, his voice eager. "Slayer of my family. Found you, found you, found you. Now you join them. See how _you_ like it."

_Oh no…_ Takato's eyes grew wide as he saw Diaboromon's chest begin to light up, gathering power for his Catastrophe _Cannon_ attack. He immediately began to struggle all the harder, flailing his arm while he struggled to pull his legs free from Diaboromon's grasp. The Mega level digimon squeezed all the more tightly, and Takato bit back a cry as the bones in his legs creaked and groaned in protest at the sudden pressure threatening to crack them in two.

"I can't lose you…" he gasped, his stump straining instinctively to Jeri's hands, trying to join his more whole brother in disentangling itself from the girl's grip. "Please Jeri, you've _got_ to let…!"

_"Diamond Storm!"_

A flurry of glowing, crystalline shards slammed home into Diaboromon's body, and though the attack caused no harm, it did give the Mega sufficient pause, as the glow of his attack tapered off and winked out. Turning, he found the golden-furred form of Renamon somersaulting through the air.

"You stink of the fox sorcerer," Diaboromon said, swinging the two humans out from the smoking hole, holding them up over the ground below. "You're not the one who killed my family though. Leave now and live. Stay and die."

"You're certainly one for words," the vulpine digimon said, landing within the hospital room's ruins and turning about to face the Mega. "Release my friends."

"Release… Release… Release…"Diaboromon's head shook violently, as if in laughter. "No release. No release for killers. Only deletion. Only thing this _monster…"_ He shook Takato violently up and down for emphasis, and Jeri's fingers began to slip. "…deserves!"

_"Takato!"_ Jeri screamed, her full weight coming down briefly on his fingers before she finally lost her grip and fell with nothing but street below. Renamon _bolted_ forward, catching the brunette in her arms and flipping in midair, landing deftly on the street below. Diaboromon tilted his head, seemingly fascinated by this.

"Next time, I try that with slayer," it _tsked,_ turning back towards Takato, light returning to his chest. _"This_ time though…"

_Oh, thank goodness…_ Takato breathed, grateful that Jeri was now out of harm's way, though that changed nothing about the situation as a whole. Hanging there momentarily, he watched the Mega's attack power up, his fate clearly written in it. He immediately began to struggle anyway, a part of him thinking of all the people behind him who would be hurt or killed if Diaboromon fired off his attack. The viral digimon laughed, amused by his senseless struggle, and then squeezed once more, reminding him of his helplessness.

"Don't fight it. It only hurts for a second. Shorter than the pain of my family…" Diaboromon said as behind him, Renamon rose into the air, her arms crossing in front of her as she prepared to attack again.

_Rika's not with her…_ Takato realized through the pain of his legs. He struggled all the harder, realizing that the vulpine digimon wasn't going to have a chance of rescuing him without her partner. Guilmon! He needed Guil…!

_"Justice Kick!"_

Diaboromon let out a surprised squawk as an armored figure with a featureless facemask and a red scarf blowing behind him smashed his foot into his skull. His grasp on Takato went slack and the boy slipped free, plummeting toward the streets below, narrowly missing Renamon's fired _Diamond Storm_ attack.

"Gotcha!" came Justimon's voice as he caught hold of Takato by the ankle and swept him up into his arms bridal style.

"Justimon!" Takato exclaimed in surprise, and the Legendary Tamer chuckled, speaking as Ryo next.

_"Not exactly the kind of damsel in distress that I'm used to rescuing, but I'm sure Rika will appreciate it since it's you. Just try not to make a habit of it, okay? You're not that cute after all."_

"Ah… Sure?" Takato stammered out as they landed and Justimon set him down. "Wow… Man, you came in just the nick of time."

_"Just like always,"_ Ryo said, stepping in front of him. _"Take off. I'll handle this guy."_

"Right! Be careful! This guy packs a punch!"

As if to suit action to words, Diaboromon swung his arms about wildly, tearing them through the walls of the hospital and the building across from him before slamming them home against Justimon, sending him careening backwards and sending a shower of boulders falling down toward Takato's location. The boy immediately spun about in the hopes of outrunning them, but before he had even begun, Renamon, holding Jeri in one arm, appeared next to him and in the next moment they were in the air, Renamon using each bolder as though they were a step to further propel them away from Diaboromon as he surged after them, snarling angrily at his prey having escaped.

_"Not escape!"_ he roared. _"Not escape! Not escape! Not…!"_

_"Justice Burst!"_

A barrage of blazing blue energy blasts slammed into Diaboromon's face, forcing him to draw his arms up to protect himself. Seeing his chance, Justimon quickly morphed his mechanical arm, changing its appearance into a massive, angular device from which a blade of electrical energy shot up. Launching himself up at the viral Mega, he sliced downward, catching one of the arms and sheering it clean off. Diaboromon howled in pain as his now bisected arm evaporated into data.

"Now see how _you_ like it?" Justimon shouted, flipping in midair. "Not so fun now, is… _Oof!"_

Justimon grunted in surprise as a half-powered energy blast courtesy of Diaboromon's _Catastrophe Cannon_ caught him in the chest, sending him plowing into the street behind him, digging a trench before detonating explosively. Diaboromon watched the flames where Justimon crashed impassively for a moment, catching his breath before turning about, searching about for his quarry. He snarled upon finding nothing.

"Locate…" he growled, stomping forward. "Locate, locate, locate…"

_"Thunder Clap!"_

Shockwaves rocked the ground beneath Diaboromon's feet, upending him and sending him crashing down as the street split open. Rolling onto his feet, he turned to see Justimon emerging from the flames, fire crackling along his crimson scarf as his mechanical arm morphed back to its normal form.

"We're not done here yet," he said, brushing out the flames before adopting a combat stance. "Round 2."

**###**

"He has him distracted for the time being," Renamon observed from an alleyway before turning toward Takato and Jeri. "The two of you need to get out of here." She glanced over at Takato as he leaned against the wall, his balance still wobbly from Diaboromon's crushing embrace. She had inspected him earlier and found nothing wrong, fortunately, save for some slight bruising, but she worried nonetheless, uncertain if she had missed something in her haste to get him to safety.

Seeing her gaze, and sensing her reasons behind it, Takato nodded to her. "We'll be fine," he said, no doubt knowing all too well that he wasn't much use without Guilmon backing him up.

"What about you?" Jeri asked.

"Rika is nearby. I can feel her. I will meet up with her and we will assist Justimon. Now _go!"_ She glanced back out of the alley, her eyes narrowing as she watched Diaboromon catch Justimon by the ankle and fling him into the ground, face first. With nothing more to be said, the vulpine digimon vanished from view, leaving Takato and Jeri alone.

"Guilmon…" Takato breathed, reaching to his waistband where he had clipped his digivice that morning when he retrieved what things he had that hadn't been ruined by his blood. Raising it, he activated the compass function. The holographic circle rose up above the screen and swung wildly about before finally settling on a direction. He looked at Jeri, his expression fierce and determined.

"Takato?" Jeri asked, recognizing that look. It wasn't a _bad_ look, per se, but it was clear that a fire had been lit under him.

_He's going to try and fight,_ she thought, feeling worry worm its way into her heart. All of a sudden, her earlier admiration for his fighting spirit wavered and doubts began to fill her. _Will he be all right?_

"Come on," Takato said, breaking her out of her thoughts, pushing away from the wall and staggering down the alleyway. "Guilmon's this way."

"R-Right…" Jeri nodded hesitantly before following after him. "Are you…?"

"I'll be fine," Takato nodded through grated teeth. "As long as I can get to Guilmon."

Jeri watched him fumble, his legs still not quite up to working strength yet, and she drew close to him, slipping an arm about his waist and drawing his good arm over her shoulders.

"Lean on me," she said before noticing his surprise. "Don't look at me like that. I've helped Dad throw out a lot of drunks from the tavern, and you're lighter than they are. As long as you work with me, it'll be a piece of cake."

Blushing lightly in embarrassment, Takato nodded and did as she requested, though he did his best to keep from being too much of a burden. He winced as he put weight on his feet, hoping that the bruises Renamon found while looking him over were nothing more than that.

"Where to?" she asked, blowing at a strand of hair that fell over her eyes.

"This way," he said once they were situated, indicating the path ahead with his stump.

**###**

Justimon groaned as he emerged from the wreckage of a car, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. The battle wasn't going well. At least, not as well as he hoped it would. Despite being one arm short now, Diaboromon continued to fight like mad and showed no sign of slowing down, despite having the Legendary Tamer as a distraction in his pursuit of Takato.

_This guy really took that fight personally,_ he thought, getting to his feet before finding himself having to target of an incoming tractor trailer, its occupants screaming from inside the cabin. Justimon leapt up, landing on the hood of the truck. Ripping the cabin open with his mechanical arm, he quickly grabbed hold of the two passengers and tore them free from their seatbelts before flipping away. The truck crashed behind them as they landed, sending a spiderweb of cracks along the road.

"Get out of here!" Justimon said, setting the two down, and they quickly followed orders, needing no further encouragement from him. Diaboromon laughed, hiding his mouth with his remaining claw.

"Weakness. Weakness."

"How about we keep this between you and me?" Justimon said, raising his mechanical arm.

"This between me and slayer of family," Diaboromon countered, lifting up a car with a family inside. "You weren't involved, but now you are. Same for them as well."

"Then allow me to step in. _Spirit Strike!"_

Diaboromon looked up questioningly just in time to see four flame foxes surging toward him, each one grabbing hold of him and coiling about his limbs, scorching him. Justimon leapt forward again, snatching hold of the car from the Mega's hold and stealing away with it.

"Nice work, Sakuyamon!" he called out, spying the shaman Mega as she flew in for a landing.

_"Save it,"_ she said in Rika's voice, her tone clearly agitated. _"Let's finish this guy and make it_ stick _this time!_ Amethyst Mandala!"

Slashing her staff to the side, Sakuyamon sent out twin rings of pink light in a flurry of cherry blossoms that expanded outward. Seeing it, Diaboromon leapt backward into the air, firing round after round of energy blasts from his chest to counter the shaman's attack.

"Not close," he sneered. "Not close. Not…"

Diaboromon's mouth fell open in horror as he saw Justimon surging toward him, his energy blade again extended, crackling with crimson energy.

"Point blank," he said, slashing with his Voltage Blade. Diaboromon twisted in midair, narrowly avoiding getting bisected across the waist, and instead receiving just a harsh, bleeding scar along his side. Grabbing hold of the Legendary Tamer, he flung him in the direction of Sakuyamon just as she fired off another _Amethyst Mandala._

"Have fun," he laughed as Justimon crashed first into Sakuyamon's attack and then slammed into the shaman behind it, causing the two to smash into the street below with a loud curse from Rika's voice. Coming to a landing, Diaboromon looked about him, extending his senses.

"Found him," he said after a moment, a smile drawing upon his face, and with that, he leapt back into the air once more.

_"Get off me!"_ Sakuyamon shouted in Rika's voice, shoving Justimon off before shooting into the air. Memories of Renamon's quick debriefing of the situation – of how Diaboromon focused on Takato with the intention of killing him – flashing through her mind. Outwardly, she tightened her grip on her staff and pushed more speed into her and Renamon's Mega form, rapidly gaining ground. Immediately upon Diaboromon's landing, she was on him, slashing out with her staff and slamming it home into his scarred side. Diaboromon howled and leapt away, firing an energy blast at the roof he just left, and Sakuyamon immediately summoned her _Crystal Sphere,_ warding off the attack with ease.

"You're starting to run out of steam," Sakuyamon said, hefting her staff. "End of the line for you."

With that, she shot forward into the air, launching her four fox spirits in the process.

**###**

_"Guilmon!"_

Takato's voice rang across the air as he and Jeri spied the crimson dinosaur hurrying down the street. The dinosaur paused, ears rising up before immediately breaking into an excited run upon spying his partner. Forgetting about his injuries, Takato disentangled himself from Jeri, falling to his knees almost immediately upon doing so. Not that it mattered, as he ignored them, spreading out his arm just in time to receive Guilmon as the reptile all but bowled him over, his tongue out and licking all over his face.

"Gah! Guilmon! H-Hey! Stop… Jeri… A little help please…?"

"Guilmon…"

"Sorry, sorry," Guilmon laughed, pulling away from the two teens. "It's just that I've missed you so much, Takatomon! I… Hah?" Looking down at Takato's stump. The sight stunned him, but he forced himself past it, remembering that Rika and Takato's parents had told him what to expect. However, there was something else that demanded his more immediate concern. Leaning forward, he sniffed, spying a bit of red seeping through the bandages. "Takato… You… You're hurt. You're _leaking!"_

Jeri angled her head to get a better view and drew in a sharp breath. "Takato… He's right. You're bleeding again."

Wincing, Takato pressed a hand against the bandaged stump. "Must've happened during the fight," he said, wondering what was wrong now. Did the stitches break when he had been dragged across the floor at the hospital? Or some other time?

"It looks okay so far," he said, pressing against his limb gingerly. Nerves sizzled in response, but he hid it behind a smile. "See? No problem."

Jeri frowned, seeing the lie a mile off. Laying her hands on his good arm, she helped him to his feet.

"We need to get you somewhere where there's a first aid kit," she said, only for Takato to pull away.

"No. Not yet. Guilmon's here, so we're going to help the others. The more of us there are, the faster we can take him down before he causes more damage." He looked down at Guilmon expectantly and hefted his digivice. "Are you ready, boy?"

Guilmon looked uncertainly first at Jeri and then at his partner. "Ah… Takato? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It most certainly is _not!"_ Jeri exclaimed, her fears bursting free in one mad rush. "Takato, you're _hurt!_ You can't go out into that fight while you're like this!"

Takato's eyes went wide at her outburst, not used to seeing such a thing from the normally quiet, shy girl. Blinking his eyes, he shook his head, quickly recovering.

"But…Jeri! The others are in that fight! Our _friends!_ Diaboromon is one tough cookie! I can't just leave them to fight on their own!"

"They're _not_ alone! Rika and Renamon should be there _now,_ and we both know that Diaboromon isn't as strong as Armageddamon!" Planting her hands on her hips, Jeri took an authoritative stance as she tried to reign her emotions in. "Henry and any of the others will be there too! They can handle this! You _shouldn't_ be there while you're hurt as bad as you are! If they have to worry about you, you'll make things even _more_ dangerous for them!"

Takato blinked again, once more taken aback by the fierceness in Jeri's voice. As much as he hated to admit it, Jeri _was_ making sense. And yet…

He felt the stump of his missing arm tingling painfully, a reminder of what they risked losing if he _didn't_ join the fight.

_I can't just leave them alone. What if someone gets hurt? Or worse?_

Clutching at the shortened limb, he rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body.

"We'll be fine," he said. "I promise. As long as we're together…"

"No. No, Takato…" Jeri lifted a hand and stepped forward, the tips of her fingers brushing against his chin, tracing along his jawline, causing Takato to almost draw back in surprise. "Please… You were fighting together before, and…and look what happened. And this time you're _hurt!"_ Tears began to well up in her eyes as a shudder rolled through her body. "Takato… I don't think I can take it if you…"

_"Takatomon!"_ came Guilmon's warning cry as a shadow suddenly fell over them, and at once Guilmon bowled into the two humans, knocking them out of the way as Diaboromon's feet smashed into the concrete and pavement of the street. Scrambling to his feet, Takato quickly drew out his digivice.

"Diaboromon… He's…still alive!" The ramifications shocked Takato all the way to his very core. The Mega clearly looked badly beat up, even, ironically, missing an arm, but he was still breathing. His digi-core still beat.

_Which…Which means… Justimon… And maybe Sakuyamon…_

"Found you…" Diaboromon laughed, rising up and craning his head in their direction. "You die now."

Something snapped in Takato.

"You… _You…!"_

_Dead. They're dead!_ Rage, bright red filled Takato's heart, destroying all words, and he let out a bloodcurdling roar. He could have been there! He could have _saved_ them!

And if he didn't do something _now,_ Jeri and Guilmon would both die too!

_"Guilmon!"_ he shouted, thrusting his digivice forward. Guilmon rose up, eyes dilating.

_"Right Takato!"_

Their hearts beat as one as light on the digivice's screen began to emerge.

_"Biomerge activate!"_

The light grew and then…faded, and nothing more could be seen or heard from the digivice save for a steady series of beeps. Takato and Jeri both blinked, having not expected this. Guilmon, no less confused, turned toward his partner.

"Takato? Why aren't we…?"

_"Cable Crusher!"_

Guilmon let out a cry as Diaboromon's whip-like arm slammed into him, sending him flying into a building.

_"Guilmon!"_ Takato shouted, starting toward him, only for his bruised feet to give out beneath him, and he collapsed in a heap.

_This can't be happening…_ he thought with sick horror as he looked at his digivice. _It just…_ can't! _What's going on? Why couldn't we biomerge?_

Diaboromon took a thunderous step towards them, giving them no opportunity to figure out the problem.

_"Takato!"_ Jeri screamed, grabbing hold of him and pulling him up. It was no use though. Diaboromon already loomed over them, light gathering in its chest as it prepared to fire.

"And now, die."

_"Jeri, run!"_

Instinctively, Takato shoved her away from him, hoping that at least she would survive and get away. She stumbled and fell however, her eyes wide with shock and horror as they looked at one another, both of them recognizing what was about to happen.

"Jeri…" he whispered. "I'm sorry…"

_"Catastrophe Ca-!"_

_"Amethyst Mandala!"_

Diaboromon found himself abruptly cut off however as a pink ring struck it from behind, and its light suffused into his body, causing his data to break apart and disintegrate into a shower of white shards of data. Bright pink light washed over the two teens, and they saw, from deep within, Sakuyamon flying towards them.

_"Takato!"_ came Rika's voice from the shaman as she came in for a landing, followed shortly by a battered Justimon. _"Jeri! Are you all right?"_

Jeri's mouth trembled at that, and she looked over at Takato, whose hand was clutched tightly around his digivice. She saw words flashing on the screen clearly.

_Data corrupted._


	9. Chapter 9

Henry rubbed his chin exhaustedly as he stared at his computer screen, contemplating the digital 'arm' he had built. It was more refined now in appearance; appearing less bulky and more streamlined, at least in terms of its 'skeleton' – the interconnected wireframe map of its lines – but it remained crude and far from being finished.

_I'm so tired…_ Henry thought, his eyes drooping ever so slightly, drowning the world about him in darkness in pleasant oblivion until a light knock on his door caused him to snap to attention with a jerk. His head spun about as the door to his room opened, heart banging away in his chest before he relaxed, seeing his father enter with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not disturbing anything, am I?" he asked, earning him a giggle from Terriermon.

"No!" Henry said quickly, his face hot before yawning loudly. He shook his head, trying to clear it. "No. Sorry. I was just…too focused on my work."

"He's been trying to build a new arm for Takato," Terriermon explained, his tone a bit more serious now as he hopped up and down on the bed, his ears spread outward. This earned him a hard look from Henry.

"Terriermon…"

"What? You didn't say it was a secret or anything!"

"No, but I also said that I wasn't sure it would work!" Dropping his face down into his hands, he pressed his palms into his eyes to encourage them to wake up. They responded with simple discomfort, letting him know they did not approve of the pressure. "I don't want anyone to get their hopes up…"

Janyu looked at his son, his expression full of concern. Hearing about Takato's injury from Yamaki had been distressing, not just because he had come to like the teen over the years for the trust Henry and so many others placed in him and just how unfailingly kind and polite he was, but also because it reminded him of the dangers that the Tamers faced ever since they were children. How many times had Henry – or even Suzie – nearly been killed or seriously injured? He remembered a time, not more than two years ago, when Terriermon quipped about Rika literally 'bringing the roof down' during a fight with Takato, something that the girl seemed uncomfortable admitting to while Takato and Henry merely brushed it off, with laughter, as the growing pains of their friendship.

He could recall the close calls he witnessed while sitting in the safety of Hypnos, monitoring them from his equipment, and each time it made his heart clench.

Yet he knew that there was no way that Henry would steer away from this path now. Him or Suzie. Like it or not, the world _needed_ them. There were just too few alternatives.

"You look pretty worn down," he said, deciding to give voice to those worries that he could affect.

"That's because he spent an all-nighter working on that arm," Terriermon said, and once more Henry gave him a hard look, clearly not liking being tattled on. Crossing his tiny arms together, Terriermon puffed his chest out defiantly. "Well you _did!_ I've been trying to get you to catch a break all morning, and you won't listen to me!"

"It's not a bad sign if I ignore you sometimes," Henry replied, a touch of anger in his voice. Terriermon's ears lifted in response.

"I'll ignore that because you're tired and upset still, but it _is_ a bad sign if you don't get any sleep!"

"Nnnggg… Terriermon…"

"He's not wrong, you know," said Janyu, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "At any rate, your project will suffer if you tackle it while you're tired."

Henry sighed and glanced back at his project in question. "It won't work anyway. Especially with the way Hypnos has cracked down on Mr. Mizuno's code. I just don't see any way of this _working_ without it! Not even…"

He bit his lower lip as he caught himself, and his face flushed, causing Janyu to tilt his head to one side questioningly.

"Henry?"

"Nothing…"

Alarm bells went off inside Janyu's head, and he frowned slightly, leaning forward. "Henry… What are you getting into? The digimon code…" His eyes widened slightly. "Henry… Tell me you didn't…"

Henry turned away, ashamed. Although he didn't say anything, it was admission enough.

"Henry…" Janyu began, only for the boy to quickly interrupt.

"I _know_ I shouldn't have gone to those sites! It's just… I was desperate and not thinking right…"

"Tired," Janyu corrected. "Henry, I understand your desire to help your friend, but…those sites are _illegal_ with good reason! They're trying to create their _own_ digimon! Trying to figure out how they tick! How to…" Janyu clenched his eyes shut and shook his head in disbelief. "Henry… Some of the things those people are looking to do… It's _inhuman!"_

"Wait, what?" Terriermon's eyes went wide at that, wondering just what it was Henry had gotten himself into while he wasn't looking.

"I know, I know…" Henry sighed. "Look, I promise I didn't get very far. I just…" He looked up at his father, and the depth of his exhaustion was plainly visible in his grey eyes. "I just…"

"…wanted to help your friend," Janyu finished for him as the teen trailed off, his expression relaxing. "I know. I understand. But would Takato really be helped by people like that? Could you even trust them not to put something malicious into that arm you're making?"

"Which is why I stopped." Leaning into his hands once more, Henry groaned. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know it was stupid."

"Uh… Could someone explain to me what's going on?" Terriermon asked.

"Nothing's going on," Henry replied gruffly, lifting his head. "And that's how it's going to stay."

Terriermon opened his mouth to challenge this when suddenly Henry's digivice sounded an alarm. The teenager bolted out of his chair, exhaustion washing away from him as a surge of adrenaline hit his system like a truck.

"Terriermon?"

"Let's go!" the rabbit-dog digimon replied, bouncing off the bed and landing atop his partner's shoulder. Nodding in return, Henry glanced at his father.

"Dad…" he began, a pained expression forming on his face.

"Just…be careful," Janyu said, answering his unspoken question, knowing that he couldn't – that he _shouldn't_ – stop his son from heading out into danger.

_Even though I wish that I could,_ he thought, stepping aside. Henry let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," he said, rushing toward the door.

**###**

"So what _kind_ of sites were you visiting?" Terriermon asked as they exited the apartment and took off at a run toward the elevator.

"Not _now!"_ Henry replied stiffly, drawing out his digivice and activating the compass function to get an idea of what part of the city they would be fighting in. Arriving at the elevator, he hit the call button, anxiety pounding a steady, powerful drumbeat inside his chest.

"Oh, come _on,_ Henry!" Terriermon exclaimed. "The way your dad was talking, it was like you were working with the D-Reaper or something! What's up with that?"

Henry frowned as the door dinged open and they stepped inside.

"Do you remember the Angewomon incident?" he asked, the doors closing behind them.

"Uh… Yeah." The long-eared digimon twisted his face up in discomfort, a light blush blooming on his face swiftly accompanying it. "She was… _weird._ She had some of her data rewritten or something like that, right?"

Henry nodded, pressing the button for the lobby. "The sites I visited… They often talk about things like that. How to build a digimon, or rewrite one that already exists. Hypnos monitors them to make sure that they don't actually try anything, but…they're aware of the digimon code and they're figuring out how to work it without being spotted. I was hoping they would have something where I could just build a new arm for Takato that would work for him, but…" He shuddered. "I…can't do it. I honestly don't know why I thought they would be of help."

He made a disgusted sound and he glared at his feet as the elevator lurched, heading downward.

"And I thought I would be the sort of friend who would do _whatever_ it took to help a friend…"

Terriermon frowned down at his friend before bumping an ear against his cheek.

"How about you curb that thought until _after_ we've beaten the stuffing out of whoever showed up looking for a fight, okay? Sheesh, Henry! Momentai for a change, will you? I feel like we keep coming back to this spot where you think the sun won't rise if you're not there to greet it."

The elevator settled down at the lobby floor and _dinged_ as its doors opened. Deciding to take only half of Terriermon's advice, he darted out, making a line toward the exit at a rapid pace.

**###**

Smoke billowed up into the air as Henry came flying in atop Rapidmon, following a trail of destruction. Henry glanced down at his digivice's holographic compass, a sinking feeling forming in the middle of his gut.

"Did this…start out at the hospital Takato's staying at?" Rapidmon began, voicing Henry's unspoken fears as they drew in more closely. Henry swallowed, not speaking, a part of him half afraid that by doing so, he would make it a reality. His hopes for it to be otherwise were quickly dashed upon arrival, finding a massive, smoking hole in the hospital, the epicenter of which sat in the same area as Takatos' room.

"No… _No!"_ Henry felt panic lurching within his heart at the sight, and he began to struggle in his partner's arms, a part of him instinctively wanting to rush to the remains of his friend's room and determine if he were still alive or not.

"Whoa! _Whoa!"_ exclaimed Rapidmon, tightening his grip around his partner's waist with his rocket-launcher arms. "Henry! What did we talk about on the way here? _Momentai!_ Or, you know, at least _wait_ until we're on the _ground_ before you have a freak out! _Henry!_ You're not going to be able to help Takato if you make yourself go _splat_ on the ground!"

Gasping as his partner further tightened his grip around him, Henry went limp, managing to regain control of himself as his partner's words took hold in his mind.

"S-Sorry," he wheezed, and at that, Rapidmon loosened his hold ever so slightly, just enough so that he could breathe more comfortably, but not so much on the chance that he might again try to hurl himself out into midair. "Can you… How close can you get us into the destroyed section of the hospital?"

"Henry, I don't know how good of an idea that is," the android replied, taking a look about the ruins. "I'm no engineer, but a _lot_ of what's in there looks like it might fall apart if you so much as _breathe_ on it."

"Can you get us through the door at…"

Rapidmon jerked suddenly and floated backward, causing Henry to cry out loud in surprise. "Wha…? Rapidmon! What…?"

"Hang on there, Henry! Yamaki just started beaming a message into my head! Man, I'll never get used to…" He scowled skyward. "Sorry, Yamaki. Henry was distracting me. What were you saying?" A pause. "I think he put me on hold, with _no_ musi… Oh! There we go! Yeah, yeah, connection problems. What's up and who do we got to blow up?"

Another pause held the air before Rapidmon finally nodded.

"Takato's been transferred to another hospital across town. Something about his stitches getting undone, but he's okay. Rika and Ryo took care of the Diaboromon."

_"Diaboromon?!"_ Henry exclaimed, grey-eyes widening in shock at that. _Another digimon at the Mega level? And one that belongs to Diaboromon's evolution family tree? That_ can't _be a coincidence!_

"Yeah, one sec…" Rapidmon was silent for another moment before finally turning in midair. "Okay, hang on there, Henry. I'm going to fly us out to Takatomon and then we're going to see what's up!"

**###**

Rapidmon came in for a landing just outside the hospital as per Yamaki's instructions, finding Rika, Renamon in her human disguise, Ryo, Monodramon, Guilmon, Jeri and the blond-haired head of Hypnos, Yamaki all there waiting for him.

"About time you got here," Rika said, a touch of irritation in her voice, earning her a sharp elbow from her partner. Henry winced at that.

"Sorry we're late," he apologized as Rapidmon set him down. "How is Takato?"

"He should be out soon," Yamaki said, flicking a lighter in his hand open before snapping it shut. "After that however, it seems that he's to go home. He's in good enough condition for it, and the hospitals need the space due to the damage and number of injured from all the fighting these past two days."

Henry swallowed, remembering the damage at the hospital Takato previously stayed at, and the wreckage caused from the battle with Armageddamon that carved a path through the city.

_It's been bad…_ Very _bad…_

"Well…" Rapidmon began carefully. "At least there's _some_ good news in all this, right?" He looked at the others, watching as they all exchanged looks with one another. He felt a cold pit form in the middle of his mechanical stomach "Oh man… Please tell me things aren't worse."

Guilmon leaned heavily against Rika's leg, her hand scratching against his ears as she pressed her lips tightly together. Jeri stood next to her, her hands folded together, her expression a line of tension, one that was shared by Ryo.

The sound of Yamaki flicking his lighter open punctuated the silence of the group.

"There has been a development with Takato," he began. "One that may be a result of his injury. It seems that his ability to biomerge with his partner no longer exists."

Henry stood there, stunned for a moment before shaking his head, trying to make sense of it all. "He… Hold on. You're _actually_ saying…"

"He didn't _stutter,_ Einstein," Rika snapped, and Renamon placed a warning hand on her shoulder. Clenching her eyes shut, Rika spun about and began to storm off.

"Uh…Rika?" began Ryo, a bit surprised by this unexpected action.

_"Still_ not talking to you, Ryo," she said over her shoulder. Ryo moved to respond, but a quick shake of Renamon's head drew him up short.

"She won't go far," the kitsune said, "but she needs some space right now. She doesn't want to say something that she'll regret later."

"Right," Ryo nodded, his eyes turning back to Rika's retreating back as she stalked over to a tree and kicked at it once before whirling about and slamming her back against it. Her eyes glared daggers in the direction of the hospital doors, seeming to demand that they release her friend faster, and in better condition than when he first entered them.

"I'd better go keep her company," Jeri said softly. Renamon lifted an eyebrow at this, seemingly alarmed, but Jeri gave her a thin, wry smile. "I promise not to say anything. Just be there."

"Very well," Renamon relented before Guilmon rose up.

"Can I come too?"

"It…might be better if you don't," Jeri said, patting him on the head. "Too many people at once might make her feel pressured, and then…well…"

"Kaboom," Rapidmon summarized as a soft glow formed around his body, causing him to shrink into his smaller form of Terriermon."

"Ohhh…" Guilmon nodded, understanding blooming in his gold-colored eyes. "Kind of like how I get when I eat too much bread when my belly's already making grumbly noises and feeling crampy…"

"Yeah…" Jeri said softly. "Something like that. Anyway, we'll be over there in case you need us for anything."

Henry ran a hand through his hair as the brunette departed to join their fire-haired friend, letting out a heavy sigh.

"When it rains, it pours," he said before looking at Yamaki. "So what's the plan?"

"For now, nothing. Rest is what Takato needs right now, though I have spoken with Takato's parents about having him brought by Hypnos tomorrow to analysis. They have agreed to it. Hopefully we'll be able to determine what's causing the difficulty and determine if it can be fixed."

"I hope so," Guilmon moaned. "But…if not, Takato and I will still try to help." His head snapped up, eyes alight with determination. "We're a team! There's just no way that we'll let this stop us from giving you a hand when you need…" Guilmon blinked and paused, one claw going to his mouth as his eyes widened, looking as though he had done something wrong. "Ah… I mean… Well… Renamon? Help?"

"No one's upset with you, Guilmon," the kitsune said, warmly placing an assuring hand atop his head and stroking it gently. "Momentai. We know what you meant."

Guilmon relaxed noticeably at that.

"Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, I thought I had digivolved into Terriermon."

"Hey!" exclaimed the rabbit-dog digimon indignantly.

"Hopefully, we'll get some peace time to sort this out," Ryo chipped in. "Two Megas over the course of two days is bad enough luck without adding more to the pile."

"Not like we can depend on good luck at this point," Henry said. "We'll have to be on our guard for a while."

"Definitely," Ryo nodded. "That Diaboromon was connected to the Armageddamon Takato took down. The Diaboromon…said they were family or something, and took it personal that Takato deleted his 'cousin.' If that's the case, there may be more out there, and they may come looking to settle the score."

"There may be some here already as well," Yamaki acknowledged, his lighter clicking shut again. "Unlike with Armageddamon, Hypnos' sensors didn't register any digimon crossing the dimensional barrier when the Diaboromon attacked. Which means…"

"Which means that the Diaboromon came from _this_ side," Henry finished.

"When it rains, it pours," Terriermon grimaced.

**###**

Rika watched with narrowed eyes as Jeri approached and sat down beside her wordlessly. She felt herself tense up in response, but she restrained herself from saying something snarky to deter her presence. Silence reigned instead as she adjusted one leg, drawing it up so that she could rest a hand atop her knee, attempting to look more relaxed than she really felt. The discomfort ran through her, the silence feeling increasingly oppressive. After a moment, she _tsked_ and broke the quiet.

"I hate it when you do that. Both you _and_ Takato."

"Huh? Do what?" Jeri blinked, taken aback by this.

"What you're doing right now," came the sullen reply.

"But…I'm just sitting here."

Rika _huffed_ irritably.

"That's _exactly_ my point. The two of you… You don't do anything. You just show up, and somehow that turns out to be enough to get me talking."

Digging a small rock out from the dirt, she tossed it to the side to give herself something to do. Something to vent on. She watched as the stone arched and bounced off a tree, disappearing into some brush.

It didn't help.

"Do you have any idea how mad that makes me sometimes? It's like the two of you found a weak spot."

Jeri drew her legs up and wrapped her arms about them, her expression soft.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just…we care about you, and…"

"I know," Rika interrupted, her voice firm at first before becoming surprisingly gentle. "It's not like I haven't heard this speech before."

A pall of silence fell between them, the tension in the air lessening slightly, but remaining, even as Jeri placed a comforting hand on Rika's shoulder.

"Here's another one I'm sure you've heard before," she said, giving Rika's shoulder a soft squeeze. "We'll find a way to get through this, just like we always do."

Rika picked at the dirt, scowling, her lips pressed together tightly.

_So why do I feel like all we've been doing is failing?_ she wondered. _Why do I feel like all_ I've _been doing is failing? You trusted me, and…and…_

Rika was interrupted from her thoughts as she saw the doors to the hospital open. Her eyes flicked up to it and she saw Takato, his face ashen, emerge with his parents. She was on her feet immediately and dashed to the edge of the sidewalk, pausing only briefly to let a car pass while her legs maintained an impatient, running motion, before darting across, leaving a bewildered Jeri only just starting to climb to her feet.

_"Takato!"_

The boy's eyes snapped up at her as she drew to a halt in front of him, and it seemed to her that some life returned to his crimson-colored eyes. She felt a little better for that, though concern continued to beat away in her heart. Allowing a small smile of relief to touch the corners of her lips, Rika drew closer and brushed her fingers against his before curling around them tightly. A touch that was soon returned reflexively by Takato, who now sported a light blush on his cheeks.

"Rika…" he began as their eyes met. Something in her violet gaze caught his attention. A deep well of emotion that ran all the way into her fingers, gripped firmly around his. Words however failed to find his lips, though it didn't matter, as Rika spoke enough for the both of them.

"How are you…?" she began, and she blinked, realizing that her eyes were brimming with tears again. In an attempt to cover them, she quickly pulled the boy into a powerful hug, causing him to grunt in surprise at the strength in her arms.

"Stupid…Gogglehead…" she whispered hoarsely, squeezing him tight. Takato grunted again at that, though this time with pain, feeling something _pop_ between his shoulder blades.

"Ah… Ow! R-Rika… You're…squeezing… Nnngh! Too much…hug…"

"Easy there," Takehiro broke in as the others quickly approached. "He just got out of the hospital, so how about we try to keep it that way?"

"R-Right," Rika replied with an embarrassed blush, quickly relinquishing her hold and taking a step back. And just in time too, as Guilmon all but bowled her over to get at his partner.

"Ah! G-Guilmon!" Takato exclaimed as the dinosaur _pounced_ on the teen, crushing him to the ground and proceeding to give his face a _very_ thorough cleaning with his tongue. "H-Hey! Come on…! Ack! Not the mouth! Not the mouth!"

"Guilmon!" exploded Mie, just as Takehiro and Rika immediately moved to intervene. "Didn't you _just_ hear what my husband just told Rika! For goodness sake…! _Guilmon!"_

"Come on, Dinoboy," Rika admonished as Renamon appeared and helped her peel the dinosaur off his partner. "You keep that up, you're going to end up licking his face off."

"No, I won't!" Guilmon replied quickly with a laugh. "You've told me that so many times, and it hasn't happened once!"

"All it _takes_ is once," Rika glowered at him, planting her hands on her hips authoritatively like a mother to a willful child. Guilmon held her gaze for but a moment before wilting and slinking behind Renamon protectively.

"Ohhh… I _never_ win a staring contest with you…" the reptile moaned as the kitsune placed a comforting hand over his head, scratching at his ears.

"Don't feel bad about it, Guilmon," Ryo chuckled from next to Henry. "It's always hard to beat a queen at _anything."_

"This coming from the guy who _did_ beat her?" quipped a certain, long-eared digimon, ignoring the sharp glare that Rika shot at him.

"Terriermon…" came the expected reply. There followed a chorus of laughter from the group, during which Jeri looked over at Takato, seeing a hint of genuine mirth glowing in his expression, though it was tempered by recent events. She twisted her hands around one another, grinding a toe on the sidewalk before she glanced over at Rika. Thoughts of her own rose up in her mind, and her toe paused, seeing how Rika's right hand rose and came to rest on Takato's left arm, her pale thumb tracing a path along his tanned skin. Jeri's gaze lifted toward Rika's eyes. There, just as before. She could see the tension in them, seemingly reluctant to lose track of where the teen was for even a moment, lest he suddenly disappear again and get hurt even worse than before.

She thought back to the hospital, how she dangled off Takato's arm, trying to keep him safe and failing while Diaboromon easily defeated her efforts; the two of them saved only by Renamon, acting under orders from Rika to keep an eye on Takato.

She thought back to her discussion with Renamon on the rooftop, and once more she felt a flash of jealousy toward her friend; that _she_ could do the one thing she no longer could. Fight to protect those she cared about.

She hated herself for feeling that way. It wasn't Rika's fault that things turned out the way they did.

_It's how things turned out. It's not like Rika meant for Takato to get hurt. Besides, I know how much this has been hurting her…_

"We'd better get going now," Takehiro began, taking hold of his son by the shoulder. "We've got some things to discuss about tomorrow."

"Thank you all for being here," said Mie, bowing politely to the gathered group. "Really, it means a lot to know that our son has such good friends to keep him out of trouble." Forcing a smile, she ruffled her son's hair. "Even though it must be hard…"

Rika snorted and crossed her arms. "Not _that_ hard so long as you watch his feet…" she said, at which Terriermon giggled.

"Sounds like somebody's got a foot fetish…"

_"Terriermon!"_ exploded Henry, his face darkening in shock.

_Oh dear…_ thought Jeri, moving to intercept Rika as her face bloomed _bright red_ at that, all sense of her worries and concerns banishing, for the moment, in the need to stave off the chaos that was about to ensue.

Watching from across the street, Yamaki flicked his lighter closed before turning away, allowing the group to have their time together without being disturbed by his presence.

**###**

Night fell on the Matsuki bakery, finding Takato rolling out the blanket from his bunk bed out onto the floor for himself and Guilmon to lay on together. Climbing the ladder to retrieve it had been easier than he had feared it would be, but still difficult with an arm missing, and he found himself relying on his feet more to keep himself from falling, all the while moving much more quickly in order to ascend. It was going to take some practice, that much he knew, like a great many things about his life now.

_It's definitely going to take some getting used to,_ he thought, spreading the blanket out, resisting the urge to scold his stump for attempting to help. He grimaced, and touched it, taking care not to squeeze it lest he set off the still buzzing nerves that lay underneath the bandages.

"I'm glad that you're home again," Guilmon said, bumping his head from behind and nuzzling him. Laughing lightly, Takato raised his hand and scratched at his chin.

"Me too, boy" he said, and he meant it. While the hospital stay would probably be better, at least in terms of recovering, being home again brought him comfort in a way he hadn't thought possible. The sights, the sounds, and the familiar scents made him feel warm. The pain in his arm felt a bit… _less_ now.

_I hope that's a good sign,_ he thought, before a knock on the door to his room caught his attention.

"Ah…yeah?" he called out, and the door slid open, revealing his parents, both in their pajamas.

"Hey," Takehiro said, a comforting smile on his face. "Are you all set?"

"Did you brush your teeth and wash your face?" Mie asked.

"Yeah," Takato laughed lightly with a nod of his head. "Yeah, I'm all set."

His good humor though diminished as he saw his mother's eyes glance down at the empty sleeve of his shirt, dangling at his side. Unconsciously, he shifted his stump, trying to hide it behind him for her peace of mind.

"All right," Mie nodded in turn, pressing her lips together. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to give a holler, all right? We're just down the hall."

"Like always," Takehiro grinned, drawing back. "Goodnight, son."

"'Night you guys," Takato said, and with that, with seemingly nothing more to be said, the door was shut, leaving Takato and Guilmon alone once more in their room, silent, save for the sound of his parent's voices speaking softly to one another as they retreated.

"Man…" he said aloud. "Once I would have gotten a bit annoyed at being asked if I brushed my teeth and washed my face like I was a kid again, but now…" He looked down at his empty sleeve. "Now I'm just glad that she's still there to do that." His expression fell a little bit, remembering a time from when he was in the digital world and he found her note and good luck charm in his bag, quietly slipped in when he hadn't been looking. "I sure feel bad for making them worry. It feels like that's all I ever do."

"They worry about you because they care about you though," Guilmon said, walking onto the blanket with a stuffed fox in his claws. Takato raised an eyebrow at that, wondering where it came from. He didn't remember ever having something like that back when he had one or two stuffed toys to call his own.

"Who's this little guy?" he asked, pointing at the fox as Guilmon bedded down. Lifting an eyebrow, Guilmon followed Takato's pointed finger to the stuffed toy and beamed.

"Rika and her mom gave him to me while I was staying at their place. He smells nice!" Breathing in the fox toy's scent, he smiled. "Rika was so happy when she was little. She kind of reminds me a little of Jeri."

Takato chuckled at that, trying to envision Rika as being like Jeri from when they were kids, but found that he honestly couldn't. For as long as he knew her, the girl represented the absolute _opposite_ of the brunette. Dresses and stuffed animals just seemed so out of the ordinary for her.

_But then, who could have guessed that she'd have a heck of a singing voice?_ he thought, thinking back to a time from three years ago on a runaway Locomon, when he first heard her do just that. _Rika's got a lot of layers, and she's pretty particular about who she reveals them to._

He leaned back on his hand, casting his eyes up toward the ceiling. _I'll have to thank her the next chance I get._

"Well… I guess this is it for the night," he said, looking at Guilmon. "Time to bed down, boy."

"Okay!" Guilmon chirped, pulling the fox toy up to him even closer and wrapping himself around it snuggly. "Good night, Takatomon!"

"Good night, boy."

Getting up from the blanket, he went over to the light switch and flicked it off. He waited for a bit, allowing his eyes to get used to the darkness before fumbling his way back toward the makeshift bed, taking care to step over the dark blob that was Guilmon's resting form. Drawing back the covers, he slipped in and settled down.

_Oh, man… I forgot to grab one of my pillows…_

He sighed, shifting on the floor, deciding to just ignore the pillow's soft absence for the time being, having no desire to repeat stumbling about in the dark to turn on the light, brave the ladder and then repeat it all over again. He was tired, and he wanted to just rest.

He turned over onto his side, and immediately regretted it as the pressure of his bodyweight squeezed around his stump. Sitting up with a hiss, he clutched at the limb, clenching his teeth.

"Takato?"

"I'm fine, boy. Just…need to remember some things, that's all."

He sat there for a moment, massaging his shoulder before bedding back down again, the buzzing in the nerves abating slightly. He waited, and sleep didn't come to him. Still, he waited longer, but despite feeling tired, the pleasant oblivion of rest didn't ride forth to rescue him from the world of the waking like a knight on a steed. Instead, there lay only the darkness, and the quiet breathing of Guilmon, snuffling the fox toy's old scents.

Time came and went. Takato glanced at the clock, wincing as it read 12:30 in the morning. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he rose up.

"Takato?" Guilmon snorted, having been disturbed by his partner's restlessness. "What's wrong?"

"Just…stuff on my mind, I guess," he said, getting to his feet. What little light from the city filtered into his room through the large window, and he marched over to his desk, where his digivice lay. Picking it up, he flicked it on, a holographic circle rising from the screen just like always, only displaying the message from earlier.

_Data corrupted._

Closing his eyes, he dismissed the holographic circle and turned toward the window, his eyes thoughtful.

"Hey Guilmon," he began softly. "I know we're supposed to be going to Hypnos and get checked out, but…I don't know if I want to wait that long."

"What do you mean?" Guilmon asked, getting to his feet and walking over to him.

Takato tightened his grip around his digivice.

"Let's go to the park," he said softly.

**###**

They left the bakery quietly, Guilmon, surprisingly for a change, making as little noise as Renamon, and before too long they made their way to the park, finding their way to a familiar baseball field. Takato nodded to himself upon seeing it, recognizing it as the place where he and Rika first clashed. He took it as a good sign. It was open, allowing plenty of room for them to do what they needed, and win or lose, there wouldn't be any serious damage to their surroundings.

"Here?" Guilmon asked as they came to a stop. Drawing out his digivice, Takato nodded.

"Here," he said, lifting his gold-trimmed digivice to the sky. "Are you ready, boy?"

Guilmon tilted his head to one side before realizing what Takato meant to do. Or at least, attempt.

"Ready!" he nodded. Taking a shaky breath to steady himself, Takato closed his eyes.

"Biomerge activate!"


	10. Chapter 10

Renamon made her way through the Nonaka household, the cold gleam of moonlight illuminating its interior, giving it a ghostly, otherworldly appearance that the vixen rather liked. Passing by the rooms of Rumiko and Seiko, she paused briefly, listening to the breathing of their occupants before moving on, satisfied that they were all right while continuing her rounds. The adults, at least slept soundly. Rika however, for her part, merely slept.

Pausing at her partner's room, the kitsune drew back her door just enough to look inside, finding her wrapped up in her futon, a slight frown on her face. Her dreams were unsettled. That much was obvious even without their psychic link, and had been these last two days. Curious, Renamon brushed her thoughts against their connection, and the girl made a slight moan in response, turning over in her futon. Withdrawing from their connection, sensing Rika's desire to confront her dreams alone, she slid the door shut and made her way outside, where the cool air greeted her with a friendly, welcoming touch. She was soon in the air, bounding off the wall surrounding the house and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, steadily making her way into the city. Landing atop a ledge, she rose and looked out over the gleaming streets below. Although a familiar sight to her, it felt that it had been a long time since she had simply gone out and took in the sights of Shinjuku. She rarely left Rika's side, and especially now she was reluctant to do so, but she felt a quick checkup on Takato was due, if only for Rika's peace of mind once she woke up in the morning.

The vulpine digimon narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, once more considering Rika's feelings regarding her fellow Tamer. The day had…changed things somehow, though she couldn't quite place a claw on it.

_A scent, perhaps?_ Her tail flicked about her in agitation. _Guilmon would know better. But it was subtle. The change_ is _there._

She closed her eyes, thinking back on when the group broke apart and went their own ways.

_Even Jeri noticed it,_ she mused, thinking of how the brown-haired girl had looked when she saw how Rika had rushed up to Takato before any of them could even react, taking hold of his hand before hugging him. Perhaps that was the reason for the change? There could be no denial that Jeri liked Takato in a 'more than friends' manner and that Takato felt much the same in return, but the distance between them, greater now as a result of Jeri's father's desire to protect her following first the events of her capture by the D-Reaper, and then the Parasimon attack on Shinjuku, served as a deterrent against the two of them growing closer. Jeri no doubt felt this quite keenly.

_Perhaps even more so when she sees how close Rika has become to Takato in her absence. Especially in light of recent events. No doubt it reminds her of all the things she can't do. That it's harder for her to help with._

The vulpine digimon pressed her lips together tightly, pondering the growing complexity of the situation, wondering if Rika's apparent deepening feelings for Takato – if that's what they were – would be good for everyone involved. Rika, she knew, didn't have any friends by the time she became a Tamer. Acquaintances, yes, but no one that she could truly consider a confident for her heart or vice versa. Since truly accepting her as her digimon partner, things changed, and to her benefit, but it didn't change the fact that Rika still, even to this day, held certain immaturities and insecurities with regards to her emotions and how she interacted with others.

Could it be possible that she was confusing her sympathy for Takato as something more?

_Of course, this is all assuming that this is more than it appears at first glance._ Renamon folded her arms together at that. _It could be as Jeri says. We may be thinking too much about it. Perhaps it's best to leave things be, at least for now. Takato needs help adjusting to his current condition after all. Rika wants to help, and she can help. She can be there when he needs someone._

Still, the thought continued to nag at her. Rika rarely spoke about being in love or love in general, except in annoyance during the Valentine's Day and White Day celebrations. She went out on a date with Ryo on one occasion, during one of his rare visits to Shinjuku, though Rika never called it such herself, and nothing more seemed to come out of it than a visit to the movies and a game shop. If anything, the anger she often expressed toward the Legendary Tamer remained, and in some ways, even deepened.

As to why this was, Rika didn't elaborate, save that it wasn't from anything Ryo did or didn't do. Their outing had been fine, leaving Renamon to wonder if that by itself had been the problem.

_There may be a way to find out how Rika feels,_ she thought. _Guilmon's nose is quite sensitive. More so than mine and Terriermon's. Perhaps he can detect how Rika feels about his Tamer. After all, he knows how Takato and Jeri feel about each other, and he_ has _mentioned before how their scents change around one another…_

Something to ask him once they saw each other the next day. The trick was how to ask appropriately.

_Perhaps this is too much an invasion of Rika's privacy,_ she thought, closing her eyes. Yet, at the same time, she didn't want to go into this fully blind. Any little bit of information would help her help Rika if she needed it, and if she understood Rika's emotions better…

The vulpine digimon allowed her thoughts to trail off. There was time yet to consider things, and she still needed to check in on Takato to make sure he was doing all right. She was allowing herself to be distracted too easily by this concern. Unfolding her arms, Renamon leapt back out into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, drawing ever closer to the Matsuki bakery…

Renamon paused on a flagpole just on the edge of the park, tilting her head to one side questioningly.

_Is that…Guilmon I sense?_ Curious, she diverted her course, entering the park and vanishing into the tree line. It didn't take long for her to zero in on her fellow companion, and soon she took note that Takato was with him as well. As to why they were out here, well past the time that they were supposed to be in bed, she didn't know or understand. Was there another one of Armageddamon's 'family' out here, attacking them?

She drew up to the edge of a clearing overlooking a baseball field, one that she remembered quite well, and took in the surrounding area with her enhanced senses. She frowned, detecting no other digimon, save for Guilmon. There was just the crimson reptile and his partner. What could they be…?  
 _"Digi-modify!"_ she heard Takato shout. _"Biomerge activate!"_

The pieces fell into place as Renamon sat on the tree branch, continuing to watch the scene unfold.

**###**

"Takato?" Guilmon began as Takato stood there motionless, his digivice tucked into the armpit of his stump, card-slot facing outward, and a sheet of paper torn off from his notepad hanging in his hand. The boy stared at the paper – one of several, the work of over an hour's thought – for a moment before hanging his head.

"Nothing… Nothing _again…"_ he said in a harsh whisper, his tone tinged with frustration. Approaching him, Guilmon placed a claw on his hand, tugging at him slightly.

"Takato, why don't we go home? It's late out and you might catch a cold."

"No!" Takato's eyes shot up, blazing fiercely. "We can figure this out! I've just…got to come up with something!" Turning up the sheet of paper, he ran through its contents again. A crude – _very_ crude – drawing of a stick figure in a circle, with some small scribblings of something that could be classified as writing detailing what the drawing was supposed to represent. Himself biomerged with Guilmon again.

"Maybe… Maybe if I just…add more details… Or maybe if I draw you around me, then maybe it'll work?"

Guilmon's gold-colored eyes shone worriedly in the light of the moon.

"Takato… Your mom's going to be worried if she finds out that we're not in bed."

"I believe your partner has raised an excellent point," came the voice of Renamon as she emerged from the shadows, causing the two companions to whirl about in surprise. "Several excellent points as a matter of fact."

"Renamon!" Takato exclaimed, his mouth dropping open before he looked about, half expecting Rika to show up from out of nowhere as well. Seeing this, Renamon chuckled slightly.

"Rika is still at home, sleeping, just like _you_ should be. You risk compromising your health by staying up so late."

"I'll be fine," Takato replied determinedly, his eyes set in a deep frown. "I mean, it's not like I can get any _worse,_ right?"

Renamon folded her arms together at that, her own eyes shining, and not from amusement.

"Don't be a fool, Takato," she told him. "You are many things, but this is _not_ something you are known for. Don't add it to the list, if not for your sake, then for those that care about you. Right now, you are _supposed_ to be sleeping. Do you need to be _tied_ to your bed now?"

Takato met her eyes levelly, and to his credit, managed to hold her gaze for several seconds, his gaze angry and defiant, before finally falling away, his shoulders sagging in exhaustion.

"I just…wanted to try and fix my problem with biomerging," he explained, shifting in his place uncomfortably.

"And that justifies compromising yourself?"

"It's not like I'm any _good_ to anyone right now anyway, right?" Takato shouted, his bottled emotions exploding outward for the briefest of moments before he realized what – and who – he was doing it to. Shame twisted up his features and he hastily looked away.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't… I mean…"

Unfolding her arms, the vulpine digimon approached Takato and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Go on," she said softly. "Whatever is in your heart, let it out. We're your friends, and we're here for you."

She felt Takato tense up at that, his remaining hand clenching and unclenching as he flexed his fingers around the sheet of paper in his grasp. After a moment, there came the sound of his digivice clattering on the dirt as it slipped free from his stump. With a heavy sigh, he reached down and awkwardly lifted it back up, muttering an annoyed complaint under his breath.

"Takato?" the kitsune prompted. It was obvious that Takato's situation weighed heavily on his mind – and how could it not? – and that his being out here with Guilmon, trying to find a way to biomerge, was his attempt at trying to deal with it. His apparent lack of success in that regard darkened his mood. While he tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, he also had the tendency to, like Henry, Rika and Jeri, bottle things up and pretend that they didn't exist until they exploded outward. She remembered the desperation he had in his voice during their final battles with the D-Reaper, where it seemed as though his ability to keep himself from charging recklessly into the D-Reaper's zone of influence was hanging by a thread.

He was so easy to read for _any_ of them. He couldn't keep a secret from anyone, no matter how hard he tried.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Takato said quietly, "but it's…kind of weird seeing you asking me to offload on you about how I'm feeling."

"I can certainly see why you would feel that way," Renamon acknowledged. "Nonetheless, I will stand by you as long as Rika does." She paused, tilting her head to one side before adding, "She cares a great deal about you."

Takato was silent for a moment, seeming to digest the kitsune's words before his hand, still holding his paper and digivice, drifted over to his empty right sleeve, brushing against it.

"When we were in the digital world… When it was just me, Henry and Terriermon, and Beelzemon had us cornered… I couldn't do anything to help. All I could do was just sit there and watch. I was just…dead weight."

Renamon considered this for a moment before speaking.

"And you feel this way now?"

"I…guess?" Takato shrugged, though his expression was hard. "If Guilmon and I can't biomerge, then that kind of limits what we can do, right? What sort of things we can help out with. If a Mega were to show up again like they've been doing lately, we wouldn't be able to back you guys up."

He dropped his hand from his sleeve, tightening his grip around his digivice.

"I was hoping that I could fix things. I mean, the digital world is made of wishes, and…it should be easy to just…wish that Guilmon and I can biomerge again, just like we used to. Arm or no arm…"

Renamon tilted her head again at this. "Not rebuild your arm?"

She felt Takato grow rigid again at that. Sensing there was some hidden meaning to it, she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and looked down at Guilmon, who shrugged, not certain as to why Takato didn't try the same thing himself.

"Takato?"

"I…don't know if that would be a good idea," Takato said after a moment. "I had a weird dream about that. That my arm turned into a monster and tried to kill me." Turning toward Renamon, he smiled in embarrassment and shrugged. "Kind of dumb, huh?"

"Perhaps," the vulpine digimon replied. "But perhaps it's also a warning. Your dreams have been rather…prophetic in the past, as I recall."

Takato felt heat rise in his face at that. "J-Just the one time," he stammered, and Renamon gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze again.

"Either way, it might be a good idea to wait until after Hypnos has had a look at you. We don't know how your injuries might have affected you and it could very well be that they may be able to fix that. But even without that…" Turning Takato toward her, she placed her other paw on his remaining shoulder, her frightening, blue-colored eyes looking into his crimson ones. "I do not believe for an instant that you cannot aid us, whether you are capable of biomerging or not. There are always other ways, and you have a knack for discovering them." A small smile touched her lips. "However haphazardly you tend to do so."

Takato looked up at the kitsune for a moment longer before breaking eye contact, chuckling lightly.

"Gee, thanks," he said with a touch of sarcasm before remembering he was talking to a ninja fox who could easily break him over her knee if she so felt like it. "I mean it though!" he continued a little too quickly, returning his gaze to hers. He soon visibly relaxed, and his words took on a more natural, honest tone. "I mean it. Thanks."

"You are most welcome," Renamon replied with a small smile before, awkwardly, embracing the teen, much to his surprise. It felt strange to the vixen to hold someone who wasn't Rika, and Takato didn't appear to know quite how to react to it either. After a moment, she withdrew.

"Too much?"

"I…" Takato looked down, scratching at the top of his head before shrugging uncertainly. "It's… _different._ I don't know if it's too much or what but…thanks?"

Deciding that was probably the best answer for either of them, she bowed politely to the Tamer, who now looked at her quizzically.

"Um… So… What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.

"I was checking up on you," the vulpine digimon said, turning away, her tail swishing through the air. "And it seems, it was a good thing that I did so. Now, I believe it is time for you to return home. Or else you really _will_ catch a cold."

"Wow," spoke up Guilmon, his voice full of awe. "Renamon, you sound just like a mom, you know that?"

"I am fairly certain mothers don't threaten to chain their children to their beds if they don't get enough sleep," Renamon chuckled, at which Takato and Guilmon exchanged an amused look.

"I'm pretty sure that's written in the mom rulebook," Takato grinned before bowing in turn to Renamon, a move that caused her eyebrows to rise up in surprise.

"Thanks again," the boy said.

"See you tomorrow," Renamon nodded, quickly recovering. And with that, the kitsune vanished into thin air, bounding away from him faster than his eyes could follow. Takato and Guilmon stared at the empty space where she had been before the boy let out a heavy sigh.

"Man…" the boy breathed, earning him a quizzical look from Guilmon.

"What's the matter, Takato?"

"I don't know. I guess…" He scratched at his head again before shaking his head. "I don't know. I'm just…tired. And I've got a lot on my mind." He barked a harsh laugh at that and waved the stump of his arm at Guilmon indicatively, the empty sleeve dangling beneath it whirling about in an almost obscene manner. "I mean, that seems kind of obvious, right?"

Guilmon scrunched his face up at that, not sure what to make of Takato's demeanor. It almost sounded…bitter. Seeing the look on Guilmon's face, Takato lowered his stump, and rubbed his hand over it.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Takatomon," Guilmon said, bumping up against his leg affectionately. "We'll get through this, just like always."

Takato pressed harder against his stump, his expression uncertain.

"Yeah… Sure," he said quietly before releasing his grasp and looking down at his partner with a small smile.

"Are you ready to go, boy?"

Guilmon's answering leg bump told him all that was needed.

**###**

Renamon vaulted through the air, leaving her two companions behind. A part of her was concerned about her doing so, but another part knew that in spite of things, Takato and Guilmon would be able to find their way back home with little trouble.

_At least, as long as there isn't another bio-emergence,_ she thought. _But they have proven themselves capable of handling such dangers before, when they were less experienced and more vulnerable._

Drawing closer to Rika's home, she wondered what tomorrow would bring. Good news, hopefully, but nothing was certain, least of all in the real world, where chance was much harsher on the world's inhabitants. As she traveled, she replayed her conversation with Takato in her mind. It was…different from the other times when he was surrounded by friends and family, marked mainly by his being more honest with her, instead of trying to shrug her off and pretend there was nothing wrong with him. She had managed to see a bit beneath the mask he made for himself since becoming aware of his injury. Not much, but still a great deal more than she bargained for.

_Why is that?_ she wondered, coming to a landing within the yard of the Nonaka residence. Of course, no answer came to her, but that was all right. She would ponder, question, and observe. Eventually, she would find an answer.

She made her rounds throughout the household again, though she didn't expect anything to have changed since she left, and as she thought, nothing had, save for Rika having turned away from a sliver of moonlight filtering into her room, brushing against her pillow. Settling herself down across from the young girl, she contemplated her, wondering if she should ask Guilmon what he thought before falling into a meditative trance, opting to leave such concerns for the morning and to take her own advice about the need for sleep.

Tomorrow was, after all, another day.


	11. Chapter 11

Rika's sneakered feet struck the ground as she jogged through the park. Her expression was hard, a reflection of the thoughts that she found herself lost in as her legs carried her on autopilot. Jogging had become a part of her morning rituals nearly a month before Renamon's return from the digital world, scarcely before she became a teenager. She found that the act reminded her of her time as a Tamer, and kept her in shape for that hoped for day when her partner would come back to her, enabling them to pick up where they left off. Additionally, she liked the idea that she was kicking at the world whenever it left her irritated about something.

And today, she had much to be irritated about.

Coming to a stop in front of the steps that led to the old hideout, she wiped an arm across her brow, her arm coming away with a sheen of sweat. She scowled at it.

"Shouldn't be working up a sweat _this_ early in the run," she grumbled.

"Perhaps it's because someone is going a little too fast and hard," came the voice of Renamon, materializing out of thin air off to the side, holding a towel and water bottle in her hands while observing Rika with a neutral expression. Rika met her eyes for a moment before looking away, kicking at the dirt of the park path.

"Maybe if the world wasn't looking to always tick me off," Rika _harrumphed,_ "then I wouldn't need to."

Renamon looked at her sympathetically. Drawing out the towel, she approached her partner, and Rika took it with a grateful look.

"I just…can't… _believe_ people, sometimes," the girl continued, her voice muffled by the cloth as she wiped her face down. Renamon nodded, understanding her frustrations. The news that morning featured various interviews with prominent opinion writers and politicians, many of whom were actively advocating for all digimon – including the partner digimon – to be returned to the digital world, and a new firewall to be erected to block all incoming digital life forms from ever entering the human world again.

"You'd think they would have learned by now," Rika sighed, placing the towel on the back of her neck. "But no, of course not. They think they have _all_ the answers, and if it didn't work _before_ it'll work _this time_ because _they're_ the ones calling the shots."

She _harrumphed_ again as she planted her hands on her hips. "Stupid."

"Not Gogglehead?" Renamon asked, handing her the water bottle next.

"That'd be an insult to Goggleheads everywhere, and one in particular," Rika replied, unscrewing the cap. She narrowed her eyes before taking a quick drink, and Renamon saw the flash of anger in them. "But from what you've told me about meeting him last night, he was being kind of stupid too."

"Not nearly as much though, and for understandable reasons."

"He could have at least _called me!"_

Rika paused, her breathing becoming a bit heavier all of a sudden, and she took a moment to settle herself. Her vulpine partner eyed her contemplatively, spying that Rika was now looking slightly off to her righthand side, as though she were taking notice of the empty space that was there. A spot that Takato normally occupied during their morning runs.

She still remembered when Rika turned up at Takato's place and dragged him into her morning runs. Why this happened, Renamon never quite understood her partner's reasons, as Rika quite often did as she saw fit and rarely bothered with explanations. Her main excuse, when she finally did provide one, had been to make sure that he remained fit to take care of his duties as a Tamer, but Renamon couldn't help but notice that the timing coincided with Jeri's moving.

_That can't be a coincidence…_

"There was once a time," the kitsune began carefully, "that you would have said that he didn't need you to hold his hand."

Rika shot her partner a hard look at that. "If that's your attempt at being _funny…"_

"It's not," Renamon said, raising a paw in a placating manner. "But you _are_ behaving a bit oddly."

"Takato's been _hurt."_ There was the sound of plastic crackling as Rika tightened her grip about her water bottle. "Are you saying that it's _normal_ for me to _not_ care about that?"

_This isn't going in a good direction…_

Renamon placed a paw on Rika's shoulder. "Not in the least," she said. "But you are starting to sound a bit like a…" She cocked her head to one side in thought. "What's the phrase you've used before when talking about Takato's mother? About how she treats him like he can't take care of himself?"

"A mother hen," Rika supplied sullenly, the bottle crackling again as she relaxed her grip and turned away, resuming her trek. "So, you're saying that I'm _babying_ the Gogglehead."

"Do I need to point out that you were, just now, upset that he didn't call you in the middle of the night with regards to his attempt to biomerge with Guilmon again?"

"I'm _mad_ about that because what if something went wrong? No one would have been there to know what happened!" She made a frustrated growl and, upon finishing off her water bottle, chucked it into a nearby recycling can. "He just… _has_ to go around making people _worry!"_

Folding her arms together, she continued on. "I'm surprised his mom isn't grey-haired yet with all the hairbrained, Gogglehead stuff he's done over the years. I'm surprised _I_ haven't gone grey yet!"

"You're only sixteen," Renamon pointed out, continuing to keep pace with her. "And you've done far worse than he has."

"That's because I know what I'm doing!"

"And he doesn't?"

Rika opened her mouth to say something, only to snap it shut a second later and look away.

"Stupid… _Gogglehead!"_ she muttered irritably before pausing in place. "Do you know…" Another pause before she _tsked_ to herself. "Of course, you do. You were there."

"Rika?" Renamon asked, a touch confused.

"Back when you rescued him and set him down… When Henry and I were trying to keep him from bleeding to death…" She raised her hands, gazing at them, her face twisted up in disgust, as though she were looking at something dirty. "…all he did was ask if _we_ were the ones who were okay. Who _does_ that when they're the ones who are…are…"

She trailed off, and Renamon noticed that her partner's hands were shaking. It was subtle, and she doubted that even Rika noticed it. Placing a paw on her partner's shoulder again, her eyes sympathetic, she gave her a soft squeeze.

"If it means anything, it shows how much he cares about you. You're important enough to him that he is willing to put it all on the line to make sure that you're all safe."

Rika's shoulders sagged a little at that, her eyes becoming a bit damp. Furiously wiping at them, she resumed walking, her step heavy and forceful.

"I wish he'd care about me enough to take better care of himself," she grated, scowling at the dirt path. "Stupid Gogglehead. This is all Jeri's fault. If she hadn't moved away, I wouldn't have…"

Again, the girl trailed off into silence, and Renamon's ears twitched, waiting.

"Wouldn't have what?" she prompted, after the moment stretched out into two, and then three.

"Nothing," Rika said stiffly before breaking into a jog again. "I've got to hurry it up. I don't want to be late for work."

Renamon watched her go for a bit before closing her eyes and vanishing into thin air.

**###**

Rika arrived at the bakery well ahead of her concerns about being late, though she knew too late to see Takato off. She wondered how she felt about that, or how she would have reacted upon seeing him, knowing that he had gone off into the night on his own without even so much as a curtesy call.

_He 'cares,' huh?_ she thought, entering in through the front door, finding herself greeted by the warm smell of baked bread wafting through the air. _Maybe I should show him how much I 'care' by making him_ eat _his stupid goggles._

It was an unfair thought, and she knew it, but it was one born out of frustration.

_Just…why do things have to be this way?_ she wondered. _Why can't he just…just…_

Her thoughts trailed off, becoming briefly unfocused as she found herself unable to articulate what she felt in her heart.

"Morning, Rika," came the voice of Takehiro from the cash register, breaking her out of her thoughts. Her head snapped up, and she nodded to him in return.

"Morning, Mr. Matsuki," she replied, continuing toward the back area. "How are things this morning?" She paused, worrying her lip before continuing. "Was Takato doing okay?"

"He seemed to be, though he was a little tired," Takehiro answered with a tense chuckle. "Mie had to work a little to get him to crawl out of bed this morning. She was worried that he might be coming down with something, like a computer virus, but you know how he is." His eyes took on a more distant expression as Rika paused at the entrance to the kitchen area. "Tries to put a brave face on everything."

"Typical," Rika _tsked,_ disappearing into the kitchen and quickly grabbing a bandana and apron from their respective drawers. Undoing her ponytail, she immediately set about tying her hair back with the bandana. "Maybe I should give him a piece of my mind about that too."

Poking his head in, Takehiro raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is something the matter?"

Taking up the apron, Rika tied it about her waist.

_I'm guessing he didn't tell his parents about his late-night experiment…_

"Nothing," she replied, turning towards the man. "I'm just…worried about him, that's all."

She frowned just then, realizing that she hadn't seen or heard anything from Mie since arriving. As if guessing this, he gave her a comforting smile.

"Mie's accompanying him and Guilmon to Hypnos. She wanted to have a little 'mom insurance' and wanted to be there and hear what's going on without having to wait. You know how she is."

"I see," Rika said blandly, not sure what else there was to say with regards to that. Folding his arms together, Takehiro leaned against the door, smiling sympathetically.

"I've got to say, Takato's very lucky to have friends like you who are so concerned about him. At times like this, it pays to have a good friend or two to have your back. His mother and me always had a bit of a hard time with it when we were his age." He grinned and gave a hearty chuckle. "Probably why we stuck to each other like glue."

"Yeah…lucky. Anyway, is there anything I need to take care of first before I get started on the bread dough?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah. Let's get you started out here…"

And so, her work began. Rika quickly lost herself in her thoughts as her body went on autopilot, long used to the various tasks the Matsuki's assigned to her.

Yet, for the first time since her first day of working at the bakery, Rika found herself wondering if this was a mistake.

_Jeri should be here,_ she thought. _Jeri, not me. So why am_ I _here over a stupid promise?_

**###**

"Here we are," Shibumi said, tapping the computer screen in front of him. On it was the image of Takato's figure, covered by lines of code stretching across his entire body. Behind him, Henry leaned forward, his grey-eyes frowning thoughtfully. Janyu had brought him along with Yamaki's permission, if only to give him something else to focus on that remained connected to his worries about his friend, and hopefully to give him a better idea about how to help him. Analyzing his friend's data, his gaze was drawn to the stump of Takato's arm, making a note of how it appeared on the screen; distorted and blurred, with bits of code cracked in places.

_Quite the opposite of how it looks on the outside,_ he thought, his eyes flickering over to Takato as he lay in the machine

"How's it going out there?" came Takato's voice from the scanning bed. "Did you find out what's wrong?"

"Not quite," Shibumi replied. "But I'd say that we may have found something."

"The data in his arm looks pretty bad," Henry observed as Terriermon climbed up onto his shoulder to get a better look.

"Well, why wouldn't it?" the long-eared digimon asked, a bit confused. "I mean, Armageddamon basically bit it off on him."

_And it wasn't exactly a clean bite either,_ Henry thought, shivering in recollection of his friend's injury and the broken bone that jutted out from the destroyed limb before pressing onward.

"That's the thing though," he continued, leaning away from the screen, massaging his chin thoughtfully. "MarineAngemon managed to help him with his _Kahuna Waves._ It's always had a strong, restorative effect on digimon, and Takato has data in him as well. Are humans and digimon just that different?"

"It's possible," Shibumi acknowledged. "Unfortunately, I'm no biologist, so I can't really explain why it might be that way. Digimon manage to maintain a file of their physical attributes and when they're damaged, they load data, using it to patch any holes, and eventually overwrite it. It's very much like how we operate on the surface. You get a scab that covers the wound, and new tissue grows underneath. But for the most part, digimon don't scar."

"Uh… Leomon sure had a lot of those when he was around," Terriermon pointed out a bit stiffly.

"Yeah, but that's also part of his appearance," Henry returned. "He's drawn and designed to _have_ scars. And even if that weren't the case, it's not the same thing as human scars."

"I don't get it."

"You're not alone in that," Shibumi chuckled. "Like I said, I'm not a biologist. I've heard all sorts of ideas though since I began looking into this, like scarring is a quick and dirty way to heal because we're so complex that if we were to use stem cells like reptiles or other creatures with low metabolisms, our bodies would quickly become cancerous." He turned toward the pair apologetically. "But like I said, I'm not an expert in this field, so I can't say for sure what's right or wrong about that. But let's say, for the moment, that the data that makes up Takato's body is operating the same way as his normal, organic body, then it's possible that it would react the same way to regeneration, which would mean…"

"…that Takato's body just scarred over at an accelerated rate."

"Right, and however scarring functions, it carried over to the data, leaving a lot of damaged and incomplete lines of code, which might be why Takato is having a hard time biomerging with Guilmon. I suspect that if it were a perfect regeneration of the data, then regardless of the actual injury, biomerging wouldn't be a problem."

He sighed, pushing a button, causing Takato to be drawn out from the scanning equipment.

"Can it be fixed?" the brown-haired boy asked, having heard their discussion from inside the scanner. "Like you found a way to get around the D-Reaper with the red card?"

"We'll see," Shibumi said. "Unfortunately, I only understand the ins and outs of digital technology, not human biology."

"You seemed to do a good job of it when you made the red card," Terriermon said.

"Not wholly." Shibumi turned toward the long-eared digimon. "Remember, I had forgotten to account for how the human part impacted your biomerged forms, which gave you a time limit. Had you separated sooner, you all likely would have died in there."

"You know…" began Terriermon, tapping his chin worriedly as Takato got up from off the scanning bed. "…it's kind of amazing how many times we _didn't_ end up dying out there."

"Terriermon…"

"Don't be too hard on him, Henry," Takato chuckled dryly, taking up his jacket and drawing it back on. "I mean, he _is_ right about that. He almost took our heads off in that parking garage and we were a _lot_ less experienced then."

"Gee… Thanks for reminding me about that," Terriermon replied, earning him a small smile from the boy.

"Momentai."

Terriermon blinked before scowling at him, planting his tiny hands on his hips.

"Takato…"

"Sorry," he laughed. "I couldn't resist."

Henry winced, watching the one sleeve of Takato's jacket as it hung there limply, briefly, before his friend fastened it to a pin stuck in it. It was a sloppy job, owing to the inexperience of his left hand having to perform in the dominant role, and Takato recognized that all too clearly, grimacing at his handiwork before sighing.

"So…uh…is that all there is to it, or do you need me to stick around?"

"No, you're free to leave. I've got all the information I'm going to need for a while. I'll let you know if I come up with anything or need more."

"Right," Takato nodded, starting toward the door, waving goodbye. He paused briefly, looking at Henry, who regarded him sadly.

"Take care of yourself," he nodded to his friend, his thoughts turning toward the data that Shibumi had scanned, wondering if any of it would be any good. Takato bit his lower lip at this before returning the gesture with more hesitation.

"Right," he said with a touch of quiet to his voice. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

As Takato left the room, Terriermon looked at Henry with a hard look and then promptly hopped down onto the floor, strolling after the brown-haired teen.

"Terriermon?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You don't need me while you and ol' Monster Maker here do your computer stuff. I'm going to make sure Takato at least gets back to his mom and Guilmon without tripping over himself or anything."

With that, the long-eared rabbit-dog hurried on out, leaving a rather confused Henry behind.

**###**

"Hey! Takatomon! Wait up!"

The teen turned around, an eyebrow raised as Henry's partner ran up to him, long ears flapping behind him before he came to a halt.

"Uh…hey, Terriermon," he greeted, turning toward him. "What's up?"

"Just figured I'd follow you around for a little bit. I'm not needed back there, so what's the harm?"

Takato forced a grin on his face. "You mean besides my dignity?" he said sarcastically. "I mean, you're always poking fun at it."

"Only because you make it so easy and because I like you," Terriermon replied. "Besides, it'll only just be a little way. Just until you meet up with your mom. No big deal, right?"

"You know I wouldn't have said no anyway," Takato replied, placing his hand into his pocket, starting forward again. Terriermon fell into step beside him.

"I wasn't worried about that. You put up with Kazu and Rika after all, and I'm pretty sure that I'm a lot friendlier than they are. At least I don't hit you."

"Rika has _never_ hit me," Takato frowned. "Well…I mean except for that one time, but…" He blushed hotly, his movements becoming stiffer and more uncomfortable from the memory. "…well…that was an accident."

"Sure, it was," Terriermon agreed without fanfare. "It was a case of mistaken identity. I get that. Crowded train and everything. But a hit's still a hit."

"Terriermon…" Takato groaned, wondering why Henry's partner was bringing up _that_ old bruise, and one that Rika felt plenty bad about herself back then and even now, mistake or not. "Can we _not_ talk about that?"

"Sorry. I guess…I just figured seeing you get all worked up was better than seeing you get bummed out that Henry didn't follow you. I'm not that good at tact, remember?"

"Gee, you think?" Takato looked down at the diminutive digimon, ignoring the faint flush that still haunted his cheeks. "Did I really look bummed about that?"

"Yeah. You kinda did."

Takato stopped in place, causing Terriermon to look up at him with a quizzical eyebrow raised.

"I guess…I kind of was," he admitted. "I haven't had a whole lot of time to talk to him about stuff like we used to." He thought back to last night and his conversation with Renamon. His hand lifted from his pocket and touched his stump, his expression pained. "I just…kind of wish that I could put all of this behind me already and go back to something like the way things used to be. I know it's going to take time to get used to…I don't know. My new 'normal,' and figure out how to biomerge again so I can help you guys when it counts, but…" He sighed. "I don't know." He squeezed his shoulder, and he felt the invisible ghosts of his missing fingers attempt to squeeze back.

Terriermon cocked his head to one side. "Is that _all_ you're really worried about? Whether or not you can help us?"

Takato shifted uncomfortably. "Well… Why not? We're always saving the world and everything…"

Terriermon pondered him for a moment before hopping up onto his shoulder, causing the boy to sputter in surprise.

"Sorry," the long-eared digimon apologized. "It's just easier to talk this way. Anyway, I haven't told you this before, but I'm telling you now. Henry hasn't been sleeping well because he's been staying up all kinds of crazy hours researching how to build you a new arm. He's even got one mapped out on his computer."

"Wait! He whaaa…?"  
"He built you a digital arm on his computer. Sheesh! Try and keep up, will ya?"

"But…But… Why are you telling me this?" Takato asked, flummoxed. "If Henry isn't telling me, then he's got to have a good reason for…"

"Just hear me out, okay?" Clearing his throat, he continued. "You remember how Henry kept trying to keep me from fighting, and how that blew up in everyone's faces right?"

"Kind of literally," Takato nodded, still confused as to where this was going, but certain that Terriermon would guide him to the answer.

"Did he ever tell you that it wasn't all because I got hurt in that game he was playing?"

"Uh…huh?" Takato blinked. Henry had told him about how Terriermon came into the real world, and how that affected him, but the notion that there was something more to it never occurred to him.

"He hurt a kid once with his martial arts," Terriermon continued. "Put him in the hospital. It shook him up pretty bad, so after that he always worked on trying to control himself. Now, I've been around him long enough to know that this grew beyond just himself, and that sometimes it gets him all weird whenever things go beyond his ability to control things. Like when Suzie showed up in the digital world. Or when she got a boyfriend. Remember how super protective of her he got then?"

"Yeah…" Takato replied, still wondering where this was all going.

"My point is, I've got a pretty good idea when people aren't being completely honest about what's bugging them. Or when they're pushing it off onto something else. Kind of like how Rika was worried about Renamon ending up like IceDevimon, but convinced herself that she hated all digimon to give her an excuse to stay away. Or like how Henry figured that he could control himself by controlling me."

Takato stared down at the tiled floor, his mind in deep thought at that. He remembered Jeri, how she blamed herself for Leomon's death. How she believed that if she didn't exist, none of their problems would have happened. Or how she wasn't nice because she didn't accept her stepmother.

_There's a lot of things I can't do anymore,_ he thought, feeling his stump tingle a little bit. _But…_

"What's wrong with worrying about people you care about?" he asked. "I can't _not_ worry about the others, especially when I can't help you guys."

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with that," Terriermon said. "I'm just worried that you're using that to ignore everything else wrong with you. I mean, no offense Takato, but you _do_ tend to ignore stuff that has to do with you a lot by worrying about others. It's not a bad thing, but, well, you don't really get to momentai when you need to. Do you want to be like Henry, who worries about every little thing all the time?"

"Terriermon…" Takato began, ruffling his hair in aggravation. "Look, I've got to get going. Mom and Guilmon are probably worried sick about me right now and…"

"Worried any more now than at any other time?"

"Terriermon!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Sheesh, you really _are_ starting to sound a bit like Henry."

"Well, sometimes Henry's right to worry!" Takato snapped angrily. He looked down at his remaining hand. "If I had just gone Crimson Mode…than I wouldn't have let anyone down. None of you guys would be worrying about _me_ right now."

Wrapping both ears around the teen, Terriermon gave Takato a tight hug before hopping down.

"Momentai. We'd be worrying about you anyway. As for the Crimson Mode stuff, maybe Shibumi has a fix for that? I can ask him for you, if you'd like so you don't have to sit in the scanner again."

Takato swallowed, mulling things over before letting out a small breath.

"No, I'll ask him when I see him again. One problem at a time, and it's my responsibility anyway, and knowing me, it's probably something…well, like Rika would say…" He gave a light, yet strained laugh. "…goggleheaded."

Terriermon scrunched his face up, not appearing the least bit pleased by that response.

"All right, but only if you agree to momentai and try worrying about yourself for once. You won't get better if you stress yourself out worrying about everyone else. We're pretty tough too, you know."

"I'll…give it a shot," Takato frowned, though he wasn't sure what to make of Terriermon's psychoanalysis. Why could it possibly be a bad thing to be worried about his friends? They all needed each other to protect them in a fight, and if he wasn't able to do that…

_Jeri… Trapped in the D-Reaper while it fed on her; using her to evolve… Torturing her…_

_Rika… Rolling off the top of Locomon, crying out in surprise as her hand reached out desperately for his…_

_Beelzemon… Impaled on the D-Reaper's defensive blades as he attempted to rescue Jeri. Takato hadn't been in position to protect him…_

He barely noticed his nails biting into his palm as his stump pulsed painfully.

"Yeah… Momentai," he said under his breath. _Like I can afford to do that._


	12. Chapter 12

If there was one thing that Rika enjoyed about working at the bakery, it was making fresh dough. At first, she hadn't been too thrilled about it. It was sticky without flour, and resisted her attempts to make it do what she wanted, but over time she found a way to work with it, and she could easily lose herself in the process without thinking too much about it. Getting it to form how she wanted became its own challenge, which she enjoyed, especially once she understood the rules about it.

There was an additional advantage. Bread dough was an easy means to vent her frustrations into without making anyone angry or accidently hurting them.

She rolled and pressed, punching every so often with a low, annoyed _grunt,_ and shaped, while in her mind's eye, she envisioned herself at an anvil, forging iron into something else, taking great care not to overdo it. A part of her berated herself for the rather 'Takato-ish' vision, but she ignored such thoughts. Everyone dreamt they were someone or something else once in a while.

_So why aren't you somewhere else?_ came the ghost of an old thought, both hers and her mothers, and each for different reasons.

"Rika?" came the voice of Takehiro from out in the main area. "Could you grab me a roll of yen for the register?"

"On it!" she called back, snapping out of her thoughts. She darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs of the living section, only to pause when she sensed Renamon stir through the connection that they shared.

_"Rika…"_ The vulpine's voice echoed through her mind, a tone stopping just short of urgency. Turning on one foot, she backtracked to the door and brushed aside the curtain. Her eyes widened as she saw Takato, Guilmon and Mie passing the main entrance, making their way to the side entrance. Within a second, the curtain was left flapping as she hurried _away_ from her task and through the kitchen, quickly banking left and yanking the side door open just as Mie produced her housekey.

"Oh!" Mie blinked in surprise as Takato and Guilmon both squawked in equal startlement. "What…? Rika!" She scrunched her face up, appearing to be uncertain as to whether she should scold the teen for almost tearing the door off its hinges or greeting her. Fortunately, Guilmon took the decision out of her hands as he laughed happily upon seeing her.

"Rika's digivolving into a Jack-in-the-box!" Guilmon waved a claw at her, only for his golden-eyes to perk up along with his ears as he became thoughtful for a moment. "Or is that 'jack-in-a-bakery?"

"More like a popgun," Mie frowned, but gave Rika a small, knowing smile all the same, causing her to squirm uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Sorry," the redhaired girl blushed, realizing how this must have looked to them. "I just saw you guys coming and…" She trailed off before stepping aside, lifting her head in an almost imperious manner in an attempt to cover her embarrassment. "A-Anyway, welcome back."

She tilted her chin back down as the family began to step inside, her eyes becoming level with Takato's as her expression softened.

"So, how did it go?" she asked, bringing her hand to rest on her friend's shoulder, causing him to draw up short.

"Oh… You know," Takato shrugged, forcing on a smile that screamed fake from miles off. "Mr. Mizuno still has to finish looking things over, so there's not really a whole lot to go over."

"But…?" Rika asked, closing the door behind them, her brow furrowing slightly, pressing the weight of her gaze on him in order to 'encourage' him to talk. She hated it when he became evasive about a topic. It was very, _very_ rare that he lied to her about something and hadn't in years – something she always appreciated about him – but it felt much the same whenever he became squirrely about a topic. She could understand his desire to not make people upset, but _why_ did he have to complicate things like this? _Especially_ now when she just wanted to know what happened and how he was doing?

"There's no real but…" began Takato, only to be brought up short by a hard glare from his mother.

"Takato," she began. "She's your _friend_ and she _worries_ a great deal about you! I _won't_ have you trying to get out of giving her any details just because you're worried about making her upset!"

"But… There really _is_ no real 'but' to it!" Takato protested. "And I won't really know anything until Mr. Mizuno…"

"What's all the ruckus back here?" came the voice of Takehiro, poking his head into kitchen and looking down toward the hall where everyone was gathered. "Rika, have you found the… Oh!" Seeing his wife and son accompanying the fire-haired teen, his eyes lit up and he started toward them, only to remember that he still had customers behind him. "Er…"

"Sorry, Mr. Matsuki," Rika apologized before shooting Takato a look that clearly told him that their conversation wasn't over with by a longshot. "I'll get right on that."

Brushing past her friend, she hurried up the stairs, leaving Mie to sigh in exasperation toward her son. Rather than say anything further, she went over to her husband and embraced him.

"Everything all right?" he asked, patting her on the back lovingly, all the while looking at his son questioningly for some kind of hint about what went on down at Hypnos.

"Oh… Just more of the same," Mie replied before drawing away. "I'll explain it more later. Or Takato can. I don't know. He understands it more."

"And _I_ don't really get it all that well," Takato admitted, scratching the back of his head before starting toward the kitchen. "Um… Is there anything I can help with…?"

He trailed off uncertainly, starting to think of all the things he could do with one hand, which, now that he thought about it, wasn't a great deal at all. At least, not without a stronger arm. He curled his fingers together, resisting the urge to look at them. He was going to have to start working them. Get them stronger, just like the nurse had said to him back at the hospital before all hell broke loose.

Mie and Takehiro both exchanged looks, and as if reading this, Guilmon strode up.

"I can help him," the crimson reptile said. "Making dough or putting bread in the oven… Whatever he needs, I'll be his missing hand." He looked up at Takato, beaming with wide, shining eyes. "Don't worry, Takato. I'm here for whatever you need!"

"Let's…wait on that," Mie said, pressing her lips together. "Takato, you're still recovering, so it…it might be a good idea for you to get some rest."

Takato felt a flash of anger at that, and he looked at his parents pleadingly.

"But…" he began in protest, only for Takehiro to shake his head at him, though he looked at him sympathetically.

"Listen to your mother on this one, son," he said as Rika came back downstairs, a roll of yen in her hand. "Don't worry. We'll figure out a way to get you back into the game as soon as possible, but for now, rest is going to be more important for you. You need to get your strength back up."

Takato swallowed, feeling the dull red of anger building up inside him.

_Am I…really becoming useless to everyone?_ he wondered, feeling a tremor crawl over him before he nodded reluctantly.

"Fine…" he said in a low voice, clearly not happy with this. Turning away, he brushed past Rika without so much as a glance and hurried up the stairs, and it seemed to them that his feet carried an extra impact to each step, like the buildup of distant thunder.

It was just then that both Tamers' digivices gave out a sharp _beep_ before cutting off abruptly.

"What the…?" Rika exclaimed, whipping her digivice out and quickly activating the compass function, immediately scanning about them for hostiles. Nothing however came, causing the girl to frown as Renamon materialized out of thin air beside her. "Nothing… Must be a glitch."

She turned to both digimon questioningly. "Anything from you guys?"

"Nothing," Renamon shook her head, while Guilmon repeated the gesture after much sniffing of the air.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Perhaps it's just detecting a disturbance from the digital plane?" Renamon suggested.

"Oh for… _Can't_ the digital world leave us alone for even a _little_ while?!" Mie all but exploded in frustration, storming off. Takehiro gave the others an apologetic look before hurrying after her.

"Keep an eye on the front, Rika!" he called out over his shoulder as they disappeared into the back. Rika watched them go for a moment before she turned in the direction of the stairs, finding Takato standing up there, his face illuminated by the light of his own digivice. The holographic compass receding, he turned and finished climbing the last of the stairs before disappearing into his room. From the back, Rika could hear the muffled sound of Mie as she began to rant, venting all of her frustrations from the last couple of days to her husband. Rika listened to them, her expression softening a little before Renamon gave her a slight nudge, reminding her of Takehiro's request.

"Right," she said, ducking into the front.

"Ohhh… When it rains, it makes a bath," Guilmon moaned, his ears drooping as Mie's tone suddenly raised sharply, sounding for all the world as though she were in the midst of tearing her hair out.

"I think you mean, "it pours,"" Renamon corrected, bringing a paw on top of the dinosaur's head, patting him gently. "Go see to your partner. I'll help Rika keep an eye on things."

"Mmm… Okay," Guilmon nodded hesitantly, yet opting to trust in Renamon's judgment, if nothing else. In such uncertain times, he needed to trust in someone wiser than himself, and if he couldn't count on Renamon, than who _could_ he count on?

**###**

Guilmon arrived at Takato's door and blinked upon finding it closed. It was…different. In all the years that they had been partners, Takato had never closed the door to him before he was able to join him, save once when he learned that Jeri was moving away, in which he spent considerable time alone before opening the door to him. Takehiro explained to him once that it was due to him being a teenager, and that they were prone to emotional outbursts where, when they felt that the world was against them, they would simply shut everyone else out. Puberty was certainly a strange and confusing thing that humans went through, and it confounded Guilmon to no end, to say nothing of the strange smells and other physical changes that came with it. It was almost like digivolving, yet at the same time…not. To Guilmon, it was almost like the bodies of the Tamers were as angry and confused with themselves as they were more so with each other at times.

_"It'll work itself out over time,"_ he remembered Takato's father saying once.

_But that 'over time' has been so long already,_ he moaned mentally, laying himself down. _How much longer is it going to be until it's over? When do I get normal Takatomon back?_

In his mind's eye, he thought back to when he first became Growlmon, and not for the first time did he wonder if there was a way that they could get Takato back to the way he was when they first met. Somehow though, he doubted that finding a rainbow or making Takato run laps around the park on his hands would be effective.

"Takato?" he called out through the door. "It's me. I'm just letting you know that I meant what I said. That I'll help you however you need me to. We're a team, just like always. That's not over, is it?"

There came the sound of feet, and then the door slid open, and Takato emerged, his eyes full of frustration, but more so, an unspoken apology toward his partner. Kneeling down, he embraced Guilmon and sighed against him.

"We're never going to break up," he said quietly. "You have my word. I just…"

"Just what?" Guilmon asked, returning the embrace as the boy trailed off.

Takato drew back, his face a portrait of the storm that lived within him.

"…nothing that I haven't already said before," he said, looking over at his desk, where the pictures he had drawn last night lay strewn about. They made him angry just looking at them. He felt a sense of failure about them and he found himself rubbing his stump once more, feeling as though the loss of its artistic ability were part of what was making things so hard for him. Drawing had been one of the things that helped him 'momentai' as Terriermon often said and suggested. He often used art to work out problems that were stewing in the back of his mind. Now it felt as though things were plugged up and had nowhere to go.

"I just…don't know what to do?" he admitted. "I mean, I get that I can get through this, but I just can't see it."

"Maybe Jeri can help," Guilmon suggested, nuzzling against his hand. "I mean, she went through bad things too and found a way to get out of it. Maybe she could give you some advice?"

"I don't know…" Takato bit his lower lip. Jeri had already been through a lot, and those were wounds he didn't want to pull up again. "I don't want to bother her with this. It's… I mean, it's nowhere _near_ as bad as what she went through. I can get through this without bugging her."

"But…Takato, she's already bothered by what happened and she _wants_ to help you."

"It's not a big deal, really," Takato insisted, picking himself up from off the floor and making his way over to his desk. Sweeping aside his crude sketches, he brought out his sketchbook and began flipping through it for a clean page. "I'll work it out. It's just about adjusting, that's all. And when Mr. Mizuno figures out what's wrong and how to fix our ability to biomerge, we can work on getting back to something approaching normal."

His gaze softened as he passed over drawing after drawing, some of landscapes, and some of friends. There, one of Impmon resting atop a tree branch. One of Calumon in a rare moment of stillness brought about by eating too many creampuffs. Jeri, cleaning Kazu's clock in another card game match while Rika looked on proudly.

_Will I be able to get this good again with my off hand?_ he wondered, gazing at it doubtfully. His previous sketches were so rough and terrible that even his worst at age ten were far superior by comparison.

_Man, how am I going to get my writing up to snuff in time for school?_ He blinked, wondering how long he had before school started again. _That_ seemed like an important question to answer. Hastily he began scrawling out a sentence, only to grimace as the very first line went awry, taking on a wavering, shaky line that did little to resemble what he originally intended.

_Feels even worse than skating on sausages… It's like I'm trying to juggle a chainsaw at the same time. Man… Japanese class is not going to go well for me…_

Still, he pressed on, adjusting his grip as he went. It was slow going, finishing the first hiragana. It looked no better than before. He paused, and looked, seeing Guilmon watching him worriedly.

"Sorry. I just kind of blew you off there, didn't I?"

"You've got a lot on your mind," Guilmon replied. Takato frowned.

"That's no excuse though! You're my best friend! I…!"

There came another beep on his digivice just then, and at once both friends shot up, only for them both to frown in confusion as the beeping vanished almost as quickly as it began.

"Guilmon?" Takato began carefully, taking out his digivice. "I don't suppose you can smell if something's broken, can you?"

"Sorry, Takato," the crimson reptile replied with a shake of his head. "But it's weird. I'm not _smelling_ anything, but that time it… _felt_ like something was out there."

"Could it be more of those Diaboromon or one of their other evolutions or something?" he asked, glancing out the window, his crimson eyes scanning the outside rooftop across from him for something… _anything_ that might give him a clue about what was going on. Guilmon sniffed the air again, and his ears rose up.

"Renamon's on the roof."

"So she sensed it too? What is it, boy? Like a digimon?" Takato tightened his grip around his digivice. Guilmon shook his head.

"Just…weird," was all the crimson reptile reported, his mouth twisting, as though he had tasted something bad. "Kind of like the trash when it hasn't been emptied after a while."

"We've got to go find out what it is!" Takato exclaimed, bolting out of the room and hurrying downstairs. "Let's go!"

"Hah? But… Takatooo! Slow down!"

"What's going on? Takato!"

Mie's voice caused Takato to grind to a halt immediately upon reaching the bottom, and he spun about to find her standing at the entrance to the front end of the bakery, apron tied about her waist and a bandanna wrapped about her head. She stood authoritatively, hands planted on her hips.

"Uh… Hey, Mom. Where's Rika?"

"Already doing what I'm guessing _you're_ trying to do," she said. "Her digivice thing made another alarm and she is having her digimon look into it." She narrowed her eyes at her son briefly before her expression softened. "Takato… Please don't do anything right now. Just… Oh Takato…"

"Mom… I'm still a Tamer!"

"And you're _still_ my son!" Mie all but exploded fiercely. "A son who's been badly hurt! Who hasn't been out of the hospital for even a full day and is _already_ looking to head out into danger!"

"Ah…" began Guilmon. "We don't really know if there's trouble…"

"We sure don't see anything _but_ trouble from that crazy world of yours though, do we?" Mie snapped at the Rookie.

_"Mom!"_ Takato exclaimed with shock, and Mie blanched, suddenly realizing how that must have sounded.

"Ah…uh… Huh?" Guilmon looked back and forth between Takato and his mother, plainly confused and worried. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"Sorry," Mie apologized as Takehiro poked his head into the hallway.

"What's up?" he asked before seeing Takato. "Oh, did this have anything to do with…?"  
"I'm giving the all-clear."

Takato turned to find Rika coming in from the side door with Renamon by her side. Spying Takato, she paused thoughtfully before nodding.

"There's nothing out there," she resumed, though this time her words were more directed at Takato. "Seems like our digivices are trying to send us on wild _Goosemon_ chases."

"That's a relief," Mie breathed, relaxing a little, though she still looked disturbed. Sensing the tension in the room, Rika turned to Takato questioningly.

"Okay, what happened?"

Takato looked hard at his mother for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning around.

"It's nothing," he said flatly, climbing the stairs. "I'm sorry I made you mad, Mom."

**###**

Takato found himself waist deep in his thoughts and feelings as he focused on his sketchbook, having now filled entire pages with scribbles and various sentences, though not a single one of them came out the way he hoped they would. More things to pile onto his frustrations, and now his hand was starting to cramp up, and even the skin around where the pencil rubbed hurt especially, lacking the callous that his dominant hand bore ever since he had been old enough to begin drawing.

He hated it. He hated this constant reminder of needing to strive for what he _already_ gained. Hating feeling as though he were completely useless.

" _I do not believe for an instant that you cannot aid us,"_ came the memory of his conversation with Renamon, _"whether you are capable of biomerging or not. There are always other ways, and you have a knack for discovering them."_

_So…why haven't I discovered it yet?_ he thought, placing his pencil down and shaking his hand, trying to get some feeling back into it and work out the knots in its muscles. Behind him, the door slid open and he turned to find Rika, standing at the entrance, her lips curved slightly in a small, warm smile.

"Knock, knock, Gogglehead," she greeted as Guilmon's head rose up from the toy fox and a smile perked up on his face.

"Hey! Rikamon!"

_"Rikamon?"_ she asked him pointedly, not for the first time wondering if the battle with Armageddamon really _had_ scrambled some of his data.

"H-Hey," Takato returned, starting to stand up. "What's up?"

"I've finished my shift and figured I'd come and check in on how you were doing," the girl replied, taking a step into the room as she returned her attention to him. "So… What's up?"

There was an uncomfortable note to her voice that Takato heard, but he opted to ignore it, not wanting to make things more complicated than they already were. No doubt this was as hard for her as it was for him, as Rika, he knew, often had a hard time expressing how she felt about a given situation.

_Although, she has gotten better…_ he thought, a small smile touching the corners of his lips, earning him a raised eyebrow from the girl.

"What's that look for?"

"I-It's nothing!" he stammered out, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about being put on the spot like that. Rika _harrumphed,_ folding her arms together in plain disbelief.

"Every time you say something like that, it usually means there's really _something._ Come on, Gogglehead. You and I have been friends for _how_ long? You know you can't fool me."

"Maybe it's because he's happy to see you?" Guilmon suggested, testing the air with his nose before going back to the stuffed fox. "I mean, he just started smelling happier since you came in."

"It seems like I can't hide anything from Guilmon either." Takato gave a light laugh before returning his attention to Rika. "Aren't you making a bigger deal out of this than it really is? I mean…can't I just smile without it meaning anything other than being happy?"

Rika shifted on one foot.

"I didn't say you couldn't. I just…" She looked at his sketchbook before looking at him. "Takato, you're one of the most honest people I know, but sometimes you're not always that way. I _know_ you, and I know that sometimes…sometimes you like to keep things pent up so that the rest of us don't get worried about you."

Approaching him, she unfolded her arms and laid one hand on his shoulder.

"Like last night. I'm kind of annoyed that you didn't let me know…didn't let Jeri…or _anyone_ know about what you were going to do. That it took Renamon being in the neighborhood to find out. I've got to say, for someone who believes in the whole 'teamwork' thing and talking about your problems, you're kind of being a hypocrite."

Takato stiffened up at that, and Rika saw a flash of anger cross his face before his shoulders sagged slightly. For an instant, she wondered if her blunt honesty – something Takato told her before that he liked about her – had gone too far, but as she watched, he took up his sketchbook and hefted it in his hand before dropping it in his lap, flipping through the pages.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Yeah, I guess I am." He looked up at her with a small smile before returning his attention to the sketchbook.

"Takato…"

"No. It's all right. I mean, that's one of the reasons why you're one of my best friends. You always let me know what you think. You keep me…I don't know. Grounded. Keep me from being dishonest with myself or anyone else."

He flipped one final page, and Rika felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw an angry snarl of lines blackening the page surrounding what appeared to be an attempt at drawing eyes.

_His eyes,_ she thought, reaching out and brushing her fingers along the edge of the sketchbook. The orbs, such as they were, were colored a deep crimson, a color she knew all too well that belonged to her friend's irises.

"I…I won't stop fighting though," he continued. "I don't want to be left out because of what happened to me. I don't…" His breath hitched in his throat and he released his grip on his sketchbook long enough to wipe at his eyes. "Sorry for the waterworks. I've…uh…got a little something in my eye, that's…"

He found himself cut off as Rika squeezed his shoulder once more and, turning him around, knelt down a little bit, her eyes contemplative.

"Ah…! Rika, what…?"

"I'm checking your eye for that 'little something' that's in there." She brushed at the corner of his eyelid, and a tear slipped out, trailing along her finger. Bringing it down between them, she presented it for him to see.

"Got it," she said quietly.

"Ah…? But…" Takato frowned, crimson starting to stain his face. "Rika, it's just…"

"Yeah, I know."

She looked up at him, her eyebrows turned downward ever so slightly.

"You're _not_ fooling me, Takato."

The two of them looked up at one another, and both found each other's eyes shimmering with unshed emotion. Rika felt a powerful urge to draw back, a familiar thought rising up from within the depths of her heart.

_Jeri should be the one here… Not me._

Yet, here she was, and she had promised their friend that she would be there for him when she couldn't. Jeri trusted her enough to take her place.

_Take her place?_ Rika felt her heart clench angrily at that. _Stupid… I would have been there even if I didn't make a promise. Jeri, you just had to give me something else to worry over, didn't you?_

There was a cough behind them, and at once Rika jerked away from Takato, the two of them giving a startled yelp as their faces _flooded_ with red. Whirling about, Rika's eyes fell on Takehiro, standing at the doorway, an apologetic grin on his face.

"Sorry about that. Rika, I just wanted to say thanks for helping out today. You were a big help."

"N-No problem, Mr. Matsuki!" Rika stammered out, cursing herself for her sudden bout of anxiety. Grinning, Takehiro turned and waved at the pair. Rika glowered down at Guilmon, who had so far been quiet throughout the whole scene, his claws oddly enough clamped over his mouth, as though he were trying to keep himself from saying anything that would interrupt them.

"Not…one…word," she commanded, to which Guilmon, surprisingly, nodded without so much as speaking.

"Uh… So…" began Takato, trying to pick up the threads of conversation again, only for Rika to quickly interrupt him.

"Let's head out somewhere."

"Huh?" Takato blinked before pointing at her and then at himself questioningly.

"Yeah," Rika nodded. "You and me. No Kazu to make me angry or anything. Think of it like…well, a bit like therapy. It can't be good to just stay in here all day, right? You need to have _some_ fun, right?" She allowed a small, playful grin to grace her features as she forced herself to outwardly appear relaxed and in control. "Don't worry, little boy. I'll have you back here before curfew."

Takato gaped at her in bewilderment before shaking his head, laughing lightly. Rika felt her heart flutter a little at that, and for a moment, it seemed that the atmosphere was more normal between them again. Not quite the same, but better.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah, so I am. So what? Do you want to hang out or not?"

Takato smiled in response and nodded.

"Sure," he said. "Where should we start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up leaving out some scenes in favor of expanding other stuff that kind of popped in rather unexpectedly during the planning and writing process. Got to love how that happens, but hopefully it'll make this story a little bit more interesting. :P
> 
> Until next time.
> 
> -Crazyeight


	13. Chapter 13

Yamaki stood in the darkened control room of Hypnos, the light of the monitors reflecting off his sunglasses as Riley busily typed away on a control panel before him.

"There," the crimson-haired woman said, hitting a final button and turning up toward her superior. "See that? A germination energy pattern, and not one I've ever seen before. At first, I thought it was just a glitch, but after I ran a diagnostic on our systems, there's no mistaking it now." Her eyebrows came together into a hard expression, clearly not enjoying being the bearer of this news. "Something is forming in the dimensional warp between the real and digital worlds."

"Have you pinpointed its location?" Yamaki asked, continuing to take in the data before him. He narrowed his eyes. Something about it was… _familiar._

"Not yet, sir," Talley's voice came up as her chair swiveled about above them. "We have tracers searching now, but the energy pattern is causing severe distortions in the warp. It will be some time before we can localize its source." She pressed her lips together before continuing. "If this is anything like Guilmon's creation, it's likely that it will manifest before we can even locate it."

_Guilmon…_ Yamaki turned away from the screen, thinking hard. Was _that_ why it looked familiar to him? Since the D-Reaper's defeat, Yamaki interviewed each of the children and crossed referenced the timing of their becoming Tamers with the files of every Wild One that ever breached into the real world. Guilmon's was unique, even to Terriermon's, who had emerged from a computer game, and no wonder, as the crimson reptile had been created entirely from Takato's imagination, a detailed series of drawings, and a digivice. _That_ had set off considerable alarms at Hypnos, and he remembered it well.

_Funny… If I had let Riley stop Guilmon from breaching then, we might not be here now._

He quickly brushed off such thoughts however. That past didn't matter so much as the potential data. Leaning forward, he fired up a separate computer screen and quickly input some commands, recalling the data from the day of Guilmon's 'birth' and overlaying it with what Riley had found.

"Sir…" Riley gasped, quickly grasping what he was looking for. The patterns, though different in some places, strongly overlapped in others.

"Could this be…?" he began before returning his hands to the control panel. "Riley. Cross reference this with any data we have on Guilmon and other severe incidents involving the digital world. I want to make sure that we're on the right path here."

"Yes sir!" Riley nodded, quickly returning to her work. Taking out his cellphone, Yamaki immediately began flipping through the address book for the Matsuki residence. Although he had his doubts about the severity of what this data might entail, he wanted to make sure as to what Takato's condition was and to know his whereabouts should anything more come up.

**###**

_There. No interruptions,_ Rika thought, watching the screen on her cell go black as she shut it off. She felt a touch bad about doing so. A shirking of duties in case her mother or grandmother tried to contact her, or Yamaki, or even Takato's parents, but she didn't want for there to be any distractions while she and Takato were out and about. Just the two of them, for however long that lasted.

_Besides, if a digimon shows up, we won't_ need _Yamaki to let us know there's a problem,_ she mused, pocketing her phone and turning toward Takato, as he finished pinning the sleeve of his jacket up.

"All right," he nodded. "I'm all set. So, where are we headed?"

"Why don't you choose this time?" Rika asked, allowing a small smirk to cross her features. Takato blinked at that.

"Huh? But didn't I already do that last week?"

Rika paused before shrugging.

"This week can be special," she chuckled. "If it bothers you too much, you can make it up for me next time by attending a Noh play with me. That all right?"

This had been something of a thing between them for the last two years where, whenever the two of them decided to hang out together, they would alternate between what the other wanted to do, even if that something involved a lot of nothing. Middle school tore into the time that they had, often preventing them from simply hanging out and relaxing, with the only time they got to see each other being at the bakery. Not that Rika had a problem with her workload – she enjoyed challenges after all – but the loss of simply being able to see friends bothered Takato a great deal, and left him with the impression that they were all drifting apart. Rika remembered a nightmare he recounted to her once following Jeri's move about how he had been pulled ten years into the future and all his friends were adults, but had rarely seen each other in all that time. Fairly 'Takato-ish' to be sure, and rather typical of him, given his penchant for strange dreams, but she took his distress to heart, having felt similar worries needling away at her as well. She didn't want to lose her closest friends if she could help it.

It occurred to her now how much she looked forward to these little outings, and how close she came to never experiencing them with Takato again. The thought sobered her, and it clearly showed on her face, as Takato drew up to her suddenly and placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression one of determination.

"Rika… Don't worry about it. We can do whatever you want today or anything you have in mind. That's what we agreed upon, right?" He grinned. "We can go watch _every_ Noh play in the world if that's what you want. Or, you know, all the motorcross." For a wonder, a playful glint appeared in his eyes and he gave a laugh. "Or maybe we can watch a Noh play _about_ Motorcross."

"Knock it off," Rika found herself guffawing almost against her will before she gave his chin a playful jab. "Those two shouldn't even mix at all. Jeez. You and your stupid dreams…"

She shook her head, amazed, and not for the first time, about how Takato's dreams sometimes reflected reality. He dreamt about her before they even met, and his 'time travel' dream told him about her steadily growing interest in motorcross, again without her or anyone even letting him know or slipping so much as a hint. It was almost as though he were psychic or something.

_Scary thought where Gogglehead is concerned,_ she thought, opening the side door to the bakery and stepping outside where Guilmon and Renamon were waiting patiently.

"Okay, I may have been joking about that, but I _am_ serious about you picking the place," Takato insisted. Almost immediately, Terriermon's words about his lack of relaxing came to mind, and he ruthlessly shoved them away. Rika… He wanted _her_ to be happy. As long as she was happy and not worrying about him, then he could be as well.

Rika pressed her lips together, clearly not happy with his words – words that too readily reminded her of when he asked her how _she_ was doing while he lay dying – but presently unwilling to confront him on the matter. Takato was Takato after all, and he often put others before himself, a habit that Rika found herself annoyed by almost as often as she found it to be one of his best and most appreciated qualities.

"All right, fine," she said, closing her eyes briefly and taking out an evolution card. "This one's going to be a bit of a trip, but…for old times sake. Renamon?"

"As you wish," the vulpine digimon bowed, and with a quick slash of her card, the kitsune's shape altered and changed, dropping to a quadruped form and sprouting nine tails behind her. A ribbon formed about her neck, as Renamon completed her digivolution.

_"Renamon! Digivolve too…Kyubimon!"_

"Come on," Rika said, swinging up onto Kyubimon's back. "Let's go for a ride."

"Ahhh…" Takato glanced down at his stump briefly, half-wondering how it was going to work out while missing an arm to hold on with, particularly his _good_ arm. Seeing his hesitation, Rika and Guilmon both looked at him quizzically.

"Takato?" Guilmon prodded, blinking his large, golden eyes at him. The teen shook himself and undid his pinned-up sleeve.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just…Well… Hang on. I've got an idea."

"Huh?" Rika raised an eyebrow before quickly understanding. With some effort – and a bit of help from Rika and Guilmon – Takato climbed aboard Kyubimon's back and after settling himself, looked over at his partner.

"Okay. Now, once Guilmon gets on, I'll tie my jacket around him and…"

"Let me."

"Huh?"

Rather than answer, Rika snatched his jacket out of his hands and swung it around him. Drawing the sleeves up about her waist, she adjusted her seating and quickly looped it through her belt before tying them together. It wasn't a pretty job, not by a longshot, but it was a satisfactory one, and with Kyubimon as their ride and guardian, she doubted they would have any trouble even without the makeshift 'seatbelt.'

"You're up next, Guilmon," Rika said, slashing a strength modify card through her digivice next, ignoring Takato's surprised gaze.

"Okay," the dinosaur said, climbing aboard. Rika felt Kyubimon shift at the added weight of Takato's partner, but otherwise offered no complaint, as the effects of the strength modification coursed its way through her system.

"All set?" Rika asked, leaning forward as she took hold of Kyubimon's ribbons. She waited until she felt Takato lean against her back, wrapping his remaining arm about her waist. She could feel the heat of his skin through the fabric of her shirt and she swallowed, suddenly feeling a touch of self-consciousness about their situation.

_Blushing… He's blushing against me._

It wasn't anything new, as he often blushed whenever holding onto her during a 'Kyubimon romp' through the neighborhood, but recent thoughts and feelings gave her reason to consider it in a new light.

_I would have been here doing this, promise or no promise. But… I…I feel like…_

She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the thought just hang there, not wanting to pursue it. Yet, try as she might, she found herself thinking of that spot next to her on her morning jogs. The spot that had been empty that morning.

"Rika?" Kyubimon asked, wondering why she hadn't signaled for her to move, causing the girl to break out of her reverie. Rika let out a low, shuddering breath.

"Let's go," she said simply, and just like that, they were in the air.

**###**

They found an alleyway next to a familiar arcade center and Kyubimon dropped down into it in short order, reverting to her Rookie form after her three riders climbed off.

"There we go," Renamon said, forming her human disguise over herself. "Now, what's next?"

Takato glanced over his shoulder at the arcade center across from them, before cocking an eyebrow at Rika. It was a bit of an odd choice. He visited it more often with Kazu and Kenta than he did with Rika, mainly on the grounds that she found very little of the games there interesting or even challenging. So why…?

_Oh…_ Takato frowned slightly at the girl, seeing what she had done. Seeing that light of realization flickering in his gaze, Rika smirked and patted his shoulder.

"Don't give me that look," she said, her hand quickly coming to rest on his empty sleeve and drawing it up for him to pin. "This whole thing was _supposed_ to be for you, remember? You're not prioritizing me over you _this_ time."

"Rika…" Takato began as he took out the pin and pushed it through the cloth. "I just…wanted you to be happy and have fun. That… You know that means a lot to me."

Rika gave his sleeve a tug to test the pin, and satisfied that it would stay in place she gave his shoulder another pat.

"And _you_ mean a lot to me too," she returned, her violet gaze turning up to meet his eyes. "Are you _really_ going to argue with me about this?"

"I…" Takato hesitated and frowned. "No," he admitted after a moment before a small smirk tugged at his lips. "But this was a pretty dirty trick."

Looping an arm around his neck, Rika pulled him close. "All's fair in love and war, Gogglehead."

Takato couldn't help but laugh at that. "So, this is war, then? Man, now I'm worried what love must be like."

Rika was silent for a moment, her eyes searching his before she gave him a soft squeeze with her arm.

"You already know what war with me is like, remember?" she said softly. "Trust me. _This_ is love. It might be tough love, but it's love."

A ferocious blush bloomed across her face as she said those words, but she didn't take them back. And to Takato's eyes, she meant every word. His face relaxed and his smile softened.

_That's one of the things that's so awesome about her,_ he thought. _She always means what she says. You always know where you stand with her and if she says she has your back, she has your back. No ifs, ands or buts about it._

"You're going to make someone really happy someday, you know that?" he said, giving her a light chuckle. The blush on Rika's face darkened at that, and she shifted in obvious discomfort, her own heart suddenly picking up a rapid, uncomfortable pace in her chest.

"Shut…Shut up so I can focus on making you happy right now, okay?" she stammered out. "Stupid Gogglehead… Why do you have to say dumb things like that? You're _not_ getting rid of me that easily."

_Of course he'd say something like that,_ she thought, feeling a ring of disappointment. _Why would he say anything different? Why…do I feel like I wanted something different?_

She chased the feeling, a part of her knowing why it was there and where it came from, yet all the same she hated it. It felt far, _far_ too much like she was doing something wrong.

_Jeri…_ She bit her lower lip, thinking of the brunette girl who should be here instead of her. She tightened her grip around Takato, feeling her mood darkening a little.

_Maybe this is a bad idea… Seriously, what is_ wrong _with me?_

"Um… All this is really touching," began Guilmon, raising a claw, "but what about me? That arcade center doesn't allow digimon in there because they're afraid I might mess up all of their games, so I can't go with you. I can't disguise myself like Renamon can either."

Takato scratched the back of his head, feeling bad about his partner being left out. "Maybe we should just go somewhere else…"

"I'll be sure to keep Guilmon company," Renamon said, placing a gentle hand atop the reptile's head and patting it. "Takato? Rika? Why don't you two enjoy yourselves? We'll remain nearby in case you need us."

Takato's face scrunched up, clearly disliking the thought of leaving his partner behind, as it seemed he too often did when needing to navigate the human world, but approaching him, Guilmon gave Takato a playful nudge with his claws, pushing him lightly in the direction of the arcade center.

"Takatooo…" he laughed. "Jeri says that it's not nice to make girls wait, and you're making Rika wait!"

"Which makes it a doubly bad idea," Renamon chuckled, earning her a dark glare from the fire-haired teen in question.

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Renamon's azure eyes glinted in amusement as she took hold of Guilmon and then vanished into thin air, leaving the two to stare at the spot they just vacated with a mixture of bafflement and annoyance.

"Man, I don't think I'll ever get used to her looking like you when she does things like that," Takato chuckled with a shake of his head. "Uh, so, do you still want to…"

Grabbing hold of him by his hand, Rika stormed off in the direction of the arcade center, fuming and muttering a string of agitation under her breath the whole while.

**###**

Yamaki lowered his phone, frowning in frustration. His call to the Matsuki household had come too late; Rika and Takato had just left together, and for whatever reason, he found himself unable to reach Rika's cell.

_Must be a bad signal,_ he thought, turning to Tally. On the screen, she had finally zeroed in on the anomaly, and it was, as predicted, beginning to take shape and form. It presently remained difficult to distinguish, save that it was humanoid and for what appeared to be a flowing mass behind it. His fingers twitched and he reached into his pocket to draw out his lighter. He didn't flick it open just yet, but the habit, so old and so engrained in him from long years, ached for it all the same.

"Status on the anomaly," he said, squeezing the lighter in his grasp tightly.

"Presently it's absorbing a huge amount of data from the network," Tally replied, hurriedly typing away on her computer. "But it's just… _sitting_ there otherwise. It's definitely giving off the signature of a digimon, sir, and a high level one at that. It's digivolving at a highly accelerated rate, almost like a digimon would if it had a partner!"

Yamaki grated his teeth. While he couldn't say for sure whether or not this new entity posed a threat to the real or digital worlds, its presence didn't leave him feeling at all comfortable, especially with how closely its data appeared to resemble Guilmon's data. It was all but certain now, based on the files Riley drew up and analyzed against this digimon's current signature.

_Could it be because of Armageddamon?_ he wondered, and at that, his lighter snapped open, his hand at long last surrendering to the call of its habit. _If that's the case…_

He flipped open his phone and began scrolling for Janyu's number. Henry was still in the building, or at least that had been what he heard before coming up here. He needed to get him up to speed on the matter and have at least _one_ Tamer who could biomerge on hot standby in case this newly formed digimon posed a serious threat.

"Tally, send the word to our friends at the _Eye on Digimon._ Let them know that there is a potential situation developing and that we'll keep them appraised as it develops."

"Yes sir!" Tally said before an alarm went off. Hurriedly typing in some commands, Tally looked up, her eyes wide with horror beneath her visor.

"Sir! The anomaly! It's…"

And just like that, the screens surrounding them abruptly went black, only to light back up a second later, each of them, one by one, with a glowing, red, hazard sign, pulsing ominously as they climbed toward the roof in rapid succession, basking the entire control room in an eerie, crimson light.

**###**

"Okay!" Rika exclaimed as she began mashing the attack buttons. "Spin us around now!"

Takato yanked the joystick to the left, causing their fighting character on the screen to spin around just as ordered. Mashing another button, Rika caused their character to jump into the air and descend into a furious combo that caught their opponent unprepared. Their health bar rapidly emptied under the onslaught until, finally, they collapsed into a bloodied heap. Grinning, violet eyes alight with the exultation of victory, she swung her bright smile at Takato as the boy wiped his arm over his brow, looking more than a little bit worn out. On the other side of the game, an older teen, with long, earthy-red hair and a red, sleeveless jacket, cursed loudly and pushed back against his machine. Next to him, a blond-haired youth, watched him rage impassively.

"I can't believe I didn't see that one coming!" the red-haired teen growled, while the blond sighed. "Again!"

"Marcus, you spent all of your allowance…"

"So, what? Lend me some! I know you've got a little bit!" The olive-eyed youth flashed the two younger teens a devilish grin. "This fight isn't over yet. They're just starting to get good at working together!"

Takato gave Marcus a bit of an uncertain grin in return to his much louder one. Of all the students he went to school with, Marcus was by far the most perplexing of them all, and one who held him in rather surprising admiration despite the fact that Takato had a _completely_ different personality. The two were as opposite as one could get. Where Takato was quiet and soft spoken, Marcus was brash and loud. Where Takato didn't like to cause trouble, Marcus went out and _searched_ for it, often getting into fights with gangs in other cities, and sometimes even at school with any students that caused trouble – especially towards him. Takato wasn't sure if it had anything to do with when the Tamers saved his younger sister, Kristy, or the fact that they were Tamers in general and fought to protect the whole world, but they held his undying respect, and the teen often went out of his way to help them if he could.

Such as today, when he saw Rika and Takato together, and Takato himself, one arm short. The suggestion of taking him on in a fighting game came almost instantly. 'Training,' as he put it, to help him get used to his new situation.

_"Ah… Except I'm…kinda missing an arm for the other buttons…"_ Takato had begun, only for Rika to step in before he could get too far.

_"I'll be your hand,"_ she had said, placing her own on his shoulder, her eyes flashing with determination.

It had taken some practice, and enough awkward defeats to light a fire under both Tamers, but they were finally starting to get the hang of it.

Thomas glared at Marcus before sighing in resignation. Digging into his pants pocket, he produced some yen and handed them over to his friend.

"All right!" Marcus' fist shot into the air triumphantly. "It's fighting time again!"

Rika cracked her knuckles and looked over at her friend with a grin.

"Ready for another round?" she asked. "You can take the combat buttons this time around and I'll handle the movement."

Takato thought about it for a moment, wondering if this was all right, leaning on others so heavily in something like this. He felt a certain amount of accomplishment to be sure, learning to work with Rika in a new way that complimented both of their abilities, but at the same time…

Takato didn't get very far with his thoughts before both of their digivices shrieked out in alarm.

"Sorry," Takato quickly apologized to Marcus, pausing just long enough to bow politely before darting toward the doors, Rika easily keeping abreast with him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they drew near to the doors, and seeing that, her smile returned, bright and full of energy.

"Let's do this together," she said, her voice full of determination. Takato returned it, though hesitantly, his own thoughts wondering if he even could.

_After all, I still can't biomerge,_ he thought, but he nodded to Rika all the same.

"Yeah," he said. "Together."

_If we can fight together that is…_

They burst out onto the streets, finding a dark cloud twisting above them in the sky, lightning crackling around its edges.

"What…is that?!" Takato exclaimed, his eyes growing wide with shock, just as Renamon materialized behind both Tamers, Guilmon in her arms.

"It's a digital field," the vulpine digimon replied, shifting back to her digimon form as she set Guilmon down. "But not like any that I have seen before."

She set her eyes into thin slits, gazing up at the roiling, inky blackness that sat there menacingly in the sky, lightning continuing to crackle about its edges. Something about it set her ill at ease, but at the same time, it felt…unsettlingly familiar.

_What are you?_ she asked mentally, feeling her fur beginning to rise as a bolt of lightning crashed down on a building below it.

Rika glanced down at Guilmon. The dinosaur's eyes were dilated, and he was growling menacingly as he trembled all over, just barely managing to keep himself from charging off ahead. It was times like this that Rika found herself almost _afraid_ of Takato's partner. He rarely behaved like this nowadays, and if he was becoming animalistic because of this unusual digital field…

_Then we have to take it seriously,_ she thought, hefting her digivice as her eyes narrowed.

"Get ready, Takato," she said, lifting her digivice into the air, preparing to biomerge with her partner. However, before she could even announce the words that would join the two together into their form of Sakuyamon, the black cloud coalesced and collapsed into itself, forming a single, gun-black figure, humanoid-shaped, easy to see even at this distance.

It fell on them in a single instant, and in the next instant, Rika found herself vaulting in the air, the ground suddenly uprooting beneath her feet from the force of the impact. She caught a flash of blue – a cape – and an all too familiar visor, shaped like a dragon over a metal helmet before Renamon grabbed hold of her and they somersaulted into the air, landing directly behind the towering…

_…Gallantmon?_ came Rika's bewildered thoughts as she tried to make sense of the situation. Unreality settled heavily over her as her eyes fell on the dark figure before her, the literal spitting image of her friend's biomerged form. Tall, with large shoulder guards colored blue and black, with an azure cape billowing behind it. And emblazoned on its massive, grey-armored chest, was a black hazard sign.

And aimed directly at Takato was a black lance, with electricity crackling at its point.

_"TAKATO!"_ Rika shouted as the lightning grew in intensity about the lance and shot forth.


	14. Chapter 14

Jeri wandered through the streets of Shinjuku, one hand massaging her other as her eyes gazed absently at the path ahead of her, paying just enough attention to avoid bumping into people. Not that she needed to do so, as the presence of a tiny, cream-colored digimon with large ears serving as wings floating beside her, green-eyes wide and gazing about curiously, gave cause for many a passerby to give her plenty of space. Although not said out loud in recent days, digimon, even those belonging to the Tamers, were largely looked upon with concern and suspicion.

Even those that were, for all appearances, cute and harmless.

"Wow… All these people sure are giving us funny looks," Calumon said, flitting around Jeri, who simply hummed an acknowledgement. Hearing this, Calumon tilted his head to one side, looking at her curiously. Now that he thought about it, Jeri had been quiet for quite some time now. Ever since yesterday as a matter of fact, following the digimon attack on the hospital where Takato had been staying at. Feeling a great swell of concern growing in his digital heart, he swung about in front of her, one tiny paw held up to his chin questioningly.

"Hey, Jeri? Do you want to ta-?" he began, but found himself interrupted as the girl bumped her face into his, causing the girl to jerk reflexively and cry out, startled.

"Ah! Calumon! Wha…?"

"Did you see that?" exclaimed one of the pedestrians. "That digimon _attacked_ her!"

"I did not!" Calumon shouted back indignantly, waving his tiny arms about in irritation at being accused of such a vile deed. "I was just trying to get her attention and she…"

Jeri quickly put an end to the whole thing by snatching hold of Calumon out of the air and bringing him into a tight hug. Blushing furiously, she broke into a run, ignoring the increasing numbers of odd looks she was getting until she ducked down into an alley. Throwing her back against a wall with a heavy breath, she released her grip on the creampuff digimon.

"S-Sorry about that," she breathed before looking at Calumon worriedly. "Maybe…Maybe this was a bad idea…"

"Huh? Why? You wanted to see Takato, didn't you?"

"No, not that," Jeri shook her head, hugging one arm close to her. "Well… Maybe, but I'm worried about _you._ With everything that's been going on, I'm afraid someone might try to hurt you like…like they did just now."

"Because of all the bad digimon?" Calumon asked, to which Jeri nodded.

"You've been watching the news with Mom, right?"

 _Mom._ Not for the first time did Jeri notice how natural that word flowed off her lips now with regards to her stepmother, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. This was not the time for picking at such an old scar.

"I've been watching cartoons mostly!" Calumon beamed, his ears wiggling excitedly before he saw the look on Jeri's face. "Uh…and the news too. Everyone's pretty upset, huh?"

"They are," Jeri nodded. "So…I guess…I'm just worrying."

Dropping down to the ground in front of her, Calumon gave her the biggest smile that his tiny mouth could offer.

"I promise that I'll be okay," he said. "I want to protect you just like Leomon did! Like Takato and Guilmon do!"

 _Did…_ A part of Jeri thought, squeezing her arm all the more tightly as she remembered his failed attempt at biomerging. _They can't anymore._

That look of utter devastation on his face told her a great deal about how that affected him, and despite her best efforts, he didn't once react to her attempts to comfort him. She couldn't really blame him either. Merging with Guilmon had been the culmination of his relationship with Guilmon – of everything they went through together as partners, and given the circumstances surrounding how Guilmon was born, it had to have hurt him even more so. Guilmon was, after all, every bit a part of him as his now missing arm. To lose both so close to one another was, without a doubt, a terrible blow.

 _And I can't help him,_ she thought. _I can't even protect him like Rika can. What…What can I do?_

Once more, she felt a flash of jealousy roll over her, and her fingers dug into her arm before quickly relinquishing their grasp. She hated feeling that way about her two closest friends. It wasn't their fault for growing so close to one another anymore than it was hers for having to move so much further away. She had even asked Rika to look after him in her absence! She…

"Jeri? Are you all right?"

The brown-haired girl jerked with a squeak. Flustered, she brushed her dress off to busy her hands.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"You looked kinda angry," Calumon noted, hopping into the air and taking a closer look at her face.

"I…I am," she admitted. "I just…feel kind of helpless I guess."

 _And maybe that's what I'm_ really _jealous about,_ she thought, and after a quick search of her heart, she felt no real animosity toward the notion of Rika having affections for Takato, even of a romantic nature. A little jealousy to be sure, but if anything, she would have found the notion rather 'cute' under more normal circumstances. Rather, her frustrations, the greater part of it, rose from the fact that Rika could do things that she herself couldn't during a time when the boy she cared about was at his lowest.

"Well, _I'm_ sure that you can help," Calumon smiled. "You always find a way to make someone happy no matter how sad they are. Maybe if you kiss him, his booboos will get better?"

"I-I _already_ did that!" Jeri stammered out, her blush returning ferociously as she remembered that moment in the hospital. "And it…it doesn't work that way!"

"Huh? But you said it worked when you told me about…"

"That was MarineAngemon!" Jeri reminded insistently, charging past the In-Training digimon, wondering just _why_ she had told Calumon about that kiss. It had been such a bold thing to do and far outside of her character. What had she been thi…?

She didn't get very far into that thought when she saw the form of Kenta dashing by her alleyway. She caught a glimpse of a concerned look on his face, and she darted out.

"Kenta!" she called out, and the boy swung his head about in bewilderment at being called, only to crash headlong into a man in a business suit, sending the two of them sprawling to the pavement with a loud cry.

A cry, Jeri was soon to note, that was drowned out by the heavy _thump_ of an explosion as a cloud of black smoke rose into the air.

**###**

Marcus watched Takato and Rika go, a grin on his face that quickly vanished once they were out of view. Thomas eyed him contemplatively, as if waiting for him before the other teen finally sighed and shrugged, heading off toward the door.

"Nothing to do here now," he said in a dull voice, as if all the passion had gone out of him in one go. And with that, he started toward the door. Thomas lifted an eyebrow at him, a bit surprised.

"You're not going to keep playing?"

"I used up all my money, like you said," the green-eyed youth said. "I'm not borrowing money from you on my account."

Thomas felt his lips twitch into a small smile before falling into step beside him. Despite his brusque nature, Marcus could be surprisingly easy to read.

 _He really wanted to help that Takato kid,_ he thought. _Well, guess I can't blame him. They saved his sister after all and fight the good fight._

"You really wish you could help them, don't you?" he asked as they exited the doors of the arcade. Marcus glowered and kicked at the ground, not answering right away. Instead, his eyes rose up to find Takato and Rika both standing just across from them, gazing up at a surging cloud of darkness hanging up in the sky. He stood there, stupefied for a moment, watching as the clouds coalesced into a single form, and before he could even make sense of it all, it crashed down on them like the crack of thunder as the street suddenly _lifted_ upward, and the next thing Marcus knew he and Thomas found themselves flung backward, striking the doors behind them with enough force to knock the breath from their lungs.

Marcus quickly rolled over, his mouth working, trying to suck air into it; to _breathe!_ He forced his chest to work, and suddenly, oxygen rushed in, sweet, sweet oxygen, and looking up, he found Takato lying before him, attempting to recover, only to freeze in place.

And no wonder, for a short way across from him stood the black lance of a towering, knight digimon like some great obelisk, with electricity beginning to glow at its weapon's tip. Marcus barely had time to wonder why a digimon that so greatly resembled Takato's biomerged Mega form was doing attacking the boy. He was not much of a thinker and more of a doer, and do he did, for his legs quickly propelled him forward with a great leap just as Rika's voice shouted Takato's name. There was a sudden gust of wind as he grabbed hold of Takato and rolled, followed by a tremendous explosion that sent the two of them flying through the air before finally crashing to the ground with a heavy _crunch._

Pain exploded across Marcus' body, and with an effort he shut it out and swung his head about, trying to take stock of the situation to determine his next course of action. It was all a chaotic mess however. Takato was trying to say something to him that he couldn't hear. Guilmon was running up and a shaman-appearing digimon that he recognized as Sakuyamon was _launching_ herself at the dark knight, savagely swinging her staff in a wide arc that smashed into her opponent's helm, sending it toppling back a pace on its feet, stunned, but only slightly. Undaunted, Sakuyamon continued her assault, summoning her fox spirits and a shroud of violet petals about her and sending them tearing into the knight before joining them herself.

 _Bad move…_ Marcus found himself thinking, his experiences in street fights coming to mind as his consciousness began to rise from the fog it had been buried in by the earlier explosion. _That digimon's built like a tank…_

Takato seemed to realize this too as he was on his feet and fumbling for his digivice just as Guilmon drew up to him.

"Takato!" Guilmon exclaimed before his gold-colored eyes widened at Marcus. "Ah! He's…"

"I know! I know! But Sakuyamon needs us _now!_ She's not going to…"

The shaman's enraged scream broke across the air, drowning out Takato's next words. The boy moved quickly, his eyes frantic as he tucked his digivice underneath the stump of his arm and drew out a card from his pocket. A card that shone blue. Marcus smiled as the boy slashed it through the slot of his digivice, causing light to burst free from its light.

"Go, little bro…" Marcus whispered as a shell of data surrounded Guilmon's body and began to swell as the reptile pronounced his digivolution.

_"Guilmon! Digivolve too…!"_

**###**

Rika was not one to give herself over to emotion in the thick of battle. While it was something that worked for Takato at critical moments, overall in a fight, there were simply too many things that could happen, and if one didn't keep their head, they would soon find themselves separated from such an important extremity. She prided herself on keeping a cool head, so it surprised her – and Renamon – when, upon seeing the dark, twisted version of Gallantmon point its lance at Takato, something animalistic inside her _snapped._

She couldn't remember pronouncing the words that merged her with Renamon, but she _certainly_ remembered the enraged, bestial roar that erupted from her throat as she flung herself at the dark knight, slamming her staff into its armored skull with enough force to cause it to bend slightly, the rings on the staff jingling from the blow. She barely noticed it however as she drove on, summoning all of her magic and power and _hurling_ it her enemy, followed swiftly by herself, driving her fist home into the knight's helm…and repeating the attack. Once. Twice. Three times. And more. She rapidly lost count as the helm began to deform and bend inward. Rika felt her and Renamon's digital bones cracking and breaking, but she ignored the pain; ignored Renamon's protests as the vulpine began to realize what was going on.

All she knew was white hot fire of her roaring heart. A digimon had _again_ targeted her friend; someone she _deeply_ cared about, and she _would_ make them regret it!

Finally, the knight's hand caught hold of her broken, mangled fist, stopping her next blow and Sakuyamon strained against its grip, glaring daggers into her enemy's golden gaze, eyes that looked so much like the Guilmon she knew…

Suddenly Sakuyamon felt the air in her lungs go out of her in one mad rush as she was kicked in her abdomen, flinging her backward, crashing into the streets. There were screams all about her from people still trying to get away or find shelter.

 _"Rika…"_ Rika heard Renamon's words float down to her from the darkness surrounding her azure data sphere. Shaking herself, she rose up, rubble falling away from her armor.

 _"Yeah… I know. I lost it there…"_ She took a shuddering breath. The white fire had diminished now, and her mind was rapidly falling back into its cool, analytical self, assessing the situation and her options. She could feel it seething just underneath the surface however.

 _"Nnn…!"_ Rika winced as she attempted to flex their merged hands, only to find one of them refusing to cooperate and worse, sending flames of pain erupting along her hand and arm as digital bones ground against each other, causing black spots to form across her vision. Already getting an idea of just how badly she had messed up, she looked and found the knight climbing to its feet. Its armor was scuffed and scratched, and along the helm especially dented mightily from the furious blows she had rained down on it. But the damage was, at best, superficial and she knew would do little to obstruct its ability to fight.

 _And I've pretty much crippled us,_ Rika grimaced, looking at their battered hand, the fingers twisted and bloody. _Not a fair trade… Sorry Renamon. I'm…sorry. I shouldn't have…been so…Goggleheaded._

Using her staff, she hoisted herself to her feet, breathing heavily as she fought through the pain that pulsed through her body, attempting to think of a way to turn things around. Distance… She needed distance. Chip away at her opponent's armor until she could create a weak point she could exploit, or, if failing that, exhaust his ability to fight.

 _I doubt he's going to give us a chance to do that now though,_ she thought, and true to form the dark knight dashed forward, swinging its lance behind it in a wide arc, an act that struck her as a bit…odd, as that left the attack easy to dodge, even in her injured state. Leaping up into the air, she began to pronounce her attack as the knight began to bring its lance about…

 _"It's a feint!"_ Renamon shouted suddenly, and Rika cursed, seeing it too late. Using the momentum of the arc, it twisted in midair and brought its shield about, aimed at her skull, its size ensuring that she had little chance to avoid the blow.

She caught the faint sight of the shield powering up in a manner similar to Gallantmon's _Shield of the Just_ attack, power swelling around the center as the black sun logo emblazoned on its surface began to light up.

White exploded across her vision, and for a moment, one very agonizingly long moment, Rika knew nothing until her vision cleared, and she found herself lying on the ground in the middle of a crater, the earth shaking beneath her.

 _"Don't you_ dare _touch her again!"_ came the enraged shout of one Takato Matsuki as the lumbering form of WarGrowlmon – Guilmon's Ultimate level form – suddenly slammed into the dark Gallantmon. Shaking her head, Sakuyamon struggled to push herself up, a fragment of her fox-mask falling away from her face, digital blood staining its inside.

 _Not a good sign…_ Rika thought dully, but not because of the blood dripping from her head, blurring her vision. No, it was the sound of Takato's voice. The way he was speaking…

She blinked, and in the red of her digital blood, she saw a vision of a crimson and black dragon, serpentine with a gaping maw and blood-red eyes that spoke of such raw anger and hatred that it devoured everything. A beast that had nearly killed them all in its murderous rage. If Takato was in that mindset again…

The earth shook again as Rika blinked once more, and she saw the massive form of WarGrowlmon staggering, the dark knight's lance imbedded in the left side of the dragon's mechanical chest, shredding through the armor and machinery of his Atomic Blaster canon just as it was in the midst of its power up. With a snarl, WarGrowlmon, stubbornly _refusing_ to let a little thing like being stabbed hold him back, grabbed hold of the knight with his bladed claws.

"I've… _got_ you!" the cybernetic dragon roared over sparking machinery. "You're going _down!"_

 _Takato!_ Horrified, Sakuyamon quickly looked about, finding the teen swaying on his feet, his hand clutching at his chest in the same place that WarGrowlmon had been stabbed, his face pale and drawn tight.

"Got…Got to…finish this…!" she heard him stammer out as he took a shaky step forward. "WarGrowlmon! Atomic…" He shuddered, withdrawing his arm and miming a lifting move, one that WarGrowlmon mimicked with his captured opponent, and Rika knew he was syncing with his partner, providing him all the strength he needed to fight through his injury. _"…Blaster!"_

Dashing over to him, she wrapped him in her arms and spun about as she drew him close, shielding him with her body.

 _"Crystal Sphere!"_ she shouted, surrounding them in a protective barrier just as WarGrowlmon's Atomic Blaster went off like a bomb.

**###**

"This was a really bad idea…" Kenta said from within MarineAngemon's floating heart barrier as he watched Calumon run about it, his tiny arms stretched out behind him, giggling and laughing without a care in the world. Next to him, the tiny pink fairy digimon looked over at Jeri worriedly, while the girl stared on ahead, a determined expression on her face.

"I said that I'm not sitting this one out," she reminded him, watching Calumon flip through the air. "Not this time. Takato's going to be there."

Kenta and MarineAngemon both exchanged a look. They had, of course, already had this conversation with her, being themselves uncertain as to whether Takato's parents, or even Rika, would allow him to get involved in his current condition.

 _It's not safe for her to be there either!_ Kenta thought, tightening his fists together. _What if this is like Armageddamon again? Or Diaboromon? Oh man, if Jeri got hurt because I let her talk me into this, I'll never forgive myself!_

He grimaced at that. There was already a _lot_ that he couldn't forgive himself over as it was. He didn't need to add one more to the list, and yet, here he was, risking doing just that. And all because he couldn't say 'no.'

 _Takato… You were hurt because I was out of position. Because… Because I freaked out because MarineAngemon was hurt. Because I wasn't strong enough…_ He glared bitterly at Calumon, watching as he tumbled over and shook his head. Oh, how he envied his innocence.

"Pih?"

Kenta gasped as he jerked out of his thoughts by his partner sensing his distress. Jeri, hearing this, looked over at him with a raised eyebrow and her lips parted in surprise.

"Kenta? Are you okay? You're shaking."

"I'm…I'm _not!"_ he stammered out, wrapping his arms about himself and rubbing them furiously, scolding his body mentally for betraying him like this. This was bad. He couldn't calm down. In spite of his best efforts to put on a brave face and get to the battle site – to _reclaim_ the Tamer heart that had been badly mauled in the face of the fight with Armageddamon – his chest thundered away at a painfully rapid pace.

"Yes, you _are!"_ Jeri said, strolling over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Oh my… _Kenta."_ Her eyes becoming awash with concern as she felt the violent tremors beneath his shirt, she looked at him warmly. "Kenta… What's wrong?"

Kenta bit back the urge to explode on her then and there – to vent everything that he had been hiding in his heart since Takato's injury – but he held back, shame welling up in his heart. His hands feeling clammy, he fastidiously wiped them on his shirt and then let them fall to his side. He still shook, but he did nothing now to stop them, merely letting them be, whatever Jeri thought of them and their presence.

"Nothing," he said stubbornly.

"Kenta…"

Kenta clenched his teeth, but before he could say anything else, a shadow fell over them, and they turned to find Rapidmon – with Henry in his arms – flying by their side.

"Hey guys!" he called out over the roar of Rapidmon's jet engines. "I… _Jeri?!_ Kenta, what…?"

"I made him take me!" Jeri explained in his defense. "Don't get upset, please. I _know_ what the risks are! I'm _still_ a Tamer!"

"Yeah, with a creampuff for a digimon…" Rapidmon quipped, earning him a sharp look from Henry.

"Rapidmon…"

"What? You know I'm right! No offense, but Calumon couldn't even be threatening to a candle. And while we're on the topic, since when did we start talking about him as though he were partnered to Jeri? I mean, no offense, but…" He glanced at Jeri out of the corner of his eye. "…can you use modify cards on him? Or digivolve him?"

"I…no…" Jeri admitted, her eyes dropping momentarily before rising back up. "But Takato's going to be there! I just _know_ it, and I want to do my part to help protect him or any one of you! I have cards that you don't! I…I _can_ help support you!"

"Jeri…" began Henry, looking at her sympathetically for a moment before sighing.

"Got to admit, this is a pretty bad time to try saying 'no' to her too. We're just about on top of the mess and… Holy momentai! What is going on here?!"

All eyes turned down toward the scene of destruction below finding a dark, knight-like figure that resembled Gallantmon, blue cape billowing behind it as it stood over the prostrate form of Sakuyamon. Even from this distance, they could see that her fox-mask was all but destroyed, her armor was a wreck and her black bodysuit was torn in multiple places. As they watched in horror, the grey-armored knight turned around, and they saw that it held the unconscious forms of Takato and Guilmon within its arms, tucked against its sides.

"Who is that?" Calumon asked, scampering up to the edge of the heart to get a better look. "Oh, wow. I didn't know Guilmon had a twin brother. Does this mean Takato has one too and they biomerged?"

"Henry?" began Rapidmon, ignoring Calumon, a bit of an angry tone making itself known in his voice that sounded out of place to Jeri's ears.

"Hold on a moment," advised Henry. "He's still at ground level, and that space is too narrow for us to biomerge in."

"Ohhh man… Why couldn't we biomerge into something a little _shorter_ like Takato and Rika? We hardly ever get to mix it up in these kinds of fights unless the world is ending!"

"MarineAngemon?" asked Kenta, taking out a speed boost card. "Get down there and start helping Sakuyamon. She…"

"He's airborne!" Rapidmon exclaimed, and just like that, the dark Gallantmon shot skyward like a bullet. "Henry!"

"Let's get him!" Henry shouted, lifting his green-trimmed digivice. Before he could pronounce the words that would merge them together, he found himself hesitating.

_What if that's still too much power? That digimon still has Takato and Guilmon. How are we going to fight it without hurting them? Or…killing…?_

Suddenly Sakuyamon was in the air right after them.

**###**

Her vision was grey. Rika could barely remember waking up, or even what it was that had driven her into unconsciousness in the first place. There was a vague recollection of a bright, red light and a shadow behind it, followed rapidly by pain, but little more than that was brought to mind. Her own thoughts were a scattered, exhausted mess, and though she could vaguely sense her partner's thoughts, neither of them had the frame of mind with which to determine which were hers and which belonged to the kitsune.

All either of them knew, once the world had ceased spinning enough to take stock of the situation, was their opponent was taking off… _with_ Takato and Guilmon.

That had been all either of them needed to find the strength necessary to launch themselves into the air at rapid speed.

"You _will_ not take them," she grated as she zeroed in on the dark Gallantmon as it drew to a halt in the sky, and a tear ripped before it, revealing a glowing wireframe – the spatial warp between the worlds - within. "You will _not_ take them!"

She stretched out her hands, aiming them at her friends. Her broken one cringed, but she willed it to move as bid. Pain be damned, it _would_ do its job! She drew closer… _Closer…_

_Just another second… Don't you dare leave me behind!_

The knight turned toward her and with a slight bow – as though with respect – flew into the tear, where it closed behind it.

 _"NO!"_ Sakuyamon roared, slashing her hands out to her sides and sending a ring of violet energy radiating about her in raw anger at having lost the race. Almost immediately after sending out the attack, the fusion died, the last of their energy drained, and Rika and Renamon fell out of their biomerged form. In spite of her exhaustion, Renamon snatched hold of Rika's still outstretched hands and drew her close as they plummeted toward the streets below, twisting and turning, attempting to break their fall with some measure of wind resistance.

Renamon narrowed her eyes, and in her exhausted mind, she couldn't help but take note of how hard the ground looked as it rushed toward them, seemingly eager to greet them.

"Rika… Get ready. I'm going to try to…"

A heart-shaped bubble appeared in front of them just then, and Renamon crashed into sweet, exhausted oblivion.

But not Rika.

Not yet.

Rika floated down with the heart, but in her worn-down mind, she was still up in the sky, still reaching for her friend; striving to save him.

 _Takato… Guilmon…_ her lips mouthed silently as the heart descended, eventually depositing the two on the ground with a _pop._ Her fingers twitched, as she imagined them clasping hold of her friends at the last minute, pulling them free. That last act was enough, and at the sound of Jeri crying her name, finally slipped into unconsciousness where she dreamt of nothing but a hand held in hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for getting this one out a little later than intended. I took a week off to work on original material, and then when I came back to this, I got hit with a bit of a bug that had been going around, so I was down for a few days. Much better now, fortunately. Ugh. Hate getting sick.
> 
> Until next chapter!
> 
> -Crazyeight


	15. Chapter 15

When Rika woke again, she found herself staring up at a marble-white ceiling tile, the sound of voices, soft, echoing from outside the room. After some seconds, she found that she recognized them as hospital orderlies, and almost immediately alarm bells went off in her mind. Her body, however, did not respond with her accustomed level of reaction time. Instead of swift, sharp movements, her body was sluggish to respond and it took quite a few seconds for her to angle her head, where she found her mother and grandmother seated next to her, both appearing distraught, especially her mother, whose face was a dark smear of makeup that had run from crying. The woman looked exhausted and on the verge of collapsing against Seiko, wavering ever so slightly in her seat.

She was tempted to let her fall asleep, but her shift in movement caught both of their attention and at once Rumiko shot to her feet, all exhaustion leaving her in a burst of adrenaline.

"Rika!" she cried out, her shaky hand brushing aside the girl's hair, clearly resisting the urge to sweep her daughter up into a powerful hug from which she would _never_ let her go from.

"M-Mom?" Rika drawled out, her voice slurring slightly. She felt so slow, as though she were trying to talk her way through molasses. Just what was wrong with her?

"Try not to talk," Rumiko said in a hushed voice, and at once tears began to flow from her eyes once more. "I… Oh, Rika! I'm so glad to see that you're all right!"

"What…What happened?" Rika forced the words past her lips in spite of her mother's request. She closed her eyes against her mother's tear-stained face and tried to think back. The last thing she could remember was flying through the air, reaching… _reaching_ toward Takato and Guilmon as they were being hauled away to the digital world by…

"Takato… Where…?" Her fingers curled against the bedsheets. They felt wrong. Stiff and swollen. Opening her eyes, she chanced a look, and winced upon seeing that the whole of her hand was a mass of bruises and swollen, tight, angry-looking skin. Yet, it was still there, and there was no sign of surgery or anything else to suggest more severe damage than what she could see. Yet, for the moment, there was no pain. Rika supposed she was pumped full of painkillers.

_Better than the alternative, I guess,_ she thought, turning back toward her family. Rumiko's fingers brushed against her cheek tenderly, and Rika could feel the tension running in them as she smoothed out her hair.

"It'll be all right," Rumiko whispered as behind her, Seiko came up behind her and massaged her shoulders. Rika frowned, realizing that her questions weren't being answered.

"Grandma…?"

"Listen to your mother, dear," Seiko suggested, giving Rumiko's shoulders a soft squeeze, as if for emphasis. "You really should rest."

_I think I've heard enough._

With a grunt, the girl began to hoist herself up from off the bed, much to her mother's distress.

"Rika! _No!_ Please, you need to…"

"What I _need_ right now is to know what happened to Takato!" she snapped with a toss of the bedsheets. Clambering about to the opposite end of the bed she swung her legs over, but as soon as her feet touched down on the cold, tile floor, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and suddenly she wavered, tottering. A hand clasped hold of her forearm just then, and with firm, yet gentle strength, eased her back onto the bed. Looking up, she found herself looking at her 'twin.' Twin, that is, save for the icy-blue eyes that gazed out at her.

"Renamon!" she gasped in recognition, falling back onto the bed.

"I will tell you what happened as long as you promise to rest first," the 'girl' said, her jacket twitching, the tail just barely hidden underneath flicking ever so slightly in agitation.

"Rena… I want…"

"Rika!" Renamon said firmly with a tone that would brook no argument. Rika stiffened at that. It told her that things must be very, _very_ bad. Frantically, she searched her dim memories, but she only came up with her hands, _Sakuyamon's_ hands, straining toward their friends as they began to fade.

_Fade…? No!_ Rika's eyes went wide at that, and Renamon's grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Rika… _Please!"_

She felt emotion trickle through their mental bond, and with it a sense that she needed to remember that her family was present. With an effort, she looked over her shoulder to find Rumiko and Seiko watching her. Her mother's eyes were desperate, _pleading_ with Renamon to keep her daughter from doing anything that might cause further risk to her health. She turned away, her hands clenched into tight fists. Swallowing, she rose to her feet, and promptly fell into her partner's arms.

"Oh…!" Rumiko cried out, hurrying around the bed. "Renamon, is she…?"

"I'm _fine,"_ Rika insisted, pushing away from her partner, only to fall back onto the bed. "I just…need a minute."

"Rika Nonaka, you'll be waiting for much more than a minute, do you hear me?" Rumiko said, anger suddenly rising up in her heart. Hearing this, Rika felt her own catch fire in hers as well, and she shot the woman with a dark look. Two sets of violet eyes clashed, as Seiko and Renamon looked on.

"Mom… I am _not_ going to sit around and do nothing while everyone else is out looking for my friend!"

"Rika, I almost _lost_ you today, and you are in _no_ condition to be running around fighting evil digimon! You can _barely_ stand! Even if I let you go, what do you think you can do when you can't even…"

"I _said,_ I am _not_ sitting around!" Rika exploded, surging to her feet once more. Her legs shook, but for a wonder, she managed to keep her feet under her. Breathing heavily, she met her mother's gaze levelly. Rumiko jerked back, surprised by the tone the girl took with her. Silence fell over the room for a moment, thick in the air, broken only by Rika as she attempted to settle her breathing.

"I made a _promise,"_ she resumed, ignoring the wobble of her legs as her vision began to cloud with tears. "And I'm keeping that promise, no matter what! Takato's out there, and I'm going to _find_ him and drag him back home even if I have to fight another D-Reaper to do it!"

Her eyes shimmering with unshed emotion, Rumiko turned toward Renamon.

"Please… You've got to convince her to at least rest a little bit. She's going to hurt herself if she tries to do anything with the way she is now."

"Would it be any worse than I am now?" Rika asked before her partner could respond, her eyes scanning about for her clothes. Rumiko turned on her furiously at that.

"As if you even need to _ask_ that?! Your friend was hurt badly already! Do you want to end up like him! Or _die?"_

"A Tamer never walks away from danger!"

"So you're saying you _want_ to get yourself killed?!"

"Rumiko! Rika! That's enough!" interrupted Seiko sharply, and at once both women jumped in surprise at her unexpected tone. Composing herself, the elder matriarch drew in a breath to steady herself. A nurse poked her head in, one eyebrow raised questioningly, and Seiko smiled at her reassuringly.

"Sorry," she said. "My granddaughter is awake. If it's not too much trouble, we would like to see if she's ready to be discharged now."

The nurse nodded and quietly withdrew, leaving the family alone once more.

"Honestly…" Seiko began, seating herself back down again, her expression becoming tired. "I'm getting a little too old now to be getting excited like that."

Rika looked abashed at that.

"Sorry, Grandma. It's just…" Realizing that she had been crying a bit now, she furiously scrubbed at her eyes to wipe away the offending tears. "I…I promised that I'd look out for Takato and…I…" Her lips twisted stiffly in anger as she fought to say the words. That she _failed._ Broken promises didn't sit well with her, and she felt even worse when she was the one who did the breaking.

Seeing her daughter's distress, Rumiko approached the girl and wrapped her arms about her, drawing her close into a tight hug. The tender touch of her mother caused the dam to burst, and at once more tears spilled forth from her eyes. She hated them. Hated those tears. Yet, she couldn't stop them. She was far too twisted up inside now from everything that had been happening over the last few days to do so. Her hands reached up and before too long she found herself returning the gesture, a part of her realizing that her mother needed it just as much as she did.

"Mom…" she began, her voice muffled, and Rumiko nodded.

"I know. I know. Oh, God, Rika. I'm just… I'm sorry. It's just… If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do."

Rika shuddered, imagining her mother and grandmother's grief, akin to how Takato's family looked when they saw what happened to their son. How they were most likely feeling now, following his capture.

"I can't just abandon him though," she replied, squeezing her mother tight.

"No one is saying that you have to," Seiko said as a doctor stepped into the room.

**###**

Yamaki flicked his lighter closed as he made his way down the halls of Hypnos, his expression dark and hard. Approximately three hours had passed since Takato and Guilmon had been taken by the shadow-version of their biomerged form. Riley and Tally had since been sweeping the network for any sign of the duo, but so far had come up with nothing. He flicked his lighter open in frustration at that, knowing full well what it meant for the Tamers and, most especially, Takato's family.

_I told them I would do my best to find their son, but so far, I'm failing in that regard._

Another click followed as he snapped the lighter open. _I'm letting this get to me. There_ must _be another way that we haven't thought of. If only Takato still had his digivice with him…_

He paused in his stride, his cell phone ringing in his pocket. Drawing it out, he flipped it open. "Yamaki!"

He was silent for a moment while on the other end, the voice introduced themselves and explained the reason for their call. His expression darkened then and he turned in place.

"You're _what?"_

**###**

"The government wants us to launch the new firewall?" Janyu asked, his eyes widening in shock. Across from him, Yamaki nodded.

"This latest attack has convinced many in parliament to make a decision. Three Megas in three days with tremendous amounts of damage and loss of life. People are, understandably angry and are demanding action."

"But…the new firewall hasn't even been properly tested," Janyu said, shaking his head. "I mean, we have simulations, but those can only take us so far." He looked at Yamaki with a slight frown. "If we were to launch it now, it would make searching for Takato and bringing him home that much more difficult."

"Perhaps even impossible," Yamaki acknowledged. The firewall was a vast improvement over the one that had been used following the defeat of the D-Reaper, granting humanity a certain degree of safety from digital threats. At least, that is, until Takato Matsuki broke the firewall down in his frustration and anger over his separation from Guilmon. Hypnos managed to hastily assemble a new one, but not in time to prevent an invasion from the Parasimon. Since then, digimon found a way to get around their defenses, leaving them increasingly reliant once more on the Tamers to resolve digimon attacks.

The new Firewall was designed to put an end to that. Stop up all the holes and sniff out any digimon that attempted to get through.

"Does the government know that one of the Tamers has been taken to the digital world?" Janyu asked.

"It was in my report, but at this point it's questionable how much they've read it," Yamaki replied. "Right now, the focus is on taking action. There has even been talk of pulling funding from us, given our apparent inability to prevent digimon from appearing and wreaking havoc. The more extreme sections are talking about designing some kind of digital weapon based on Juggernaut to attack the digital world with. Their hope is to either destroy it, or to reduce it back to its original, harmless state."

Janyu shook his head at that, aghast at what he was hearing.

"And…the children's digimon…?"

Yamaki shook his head. "For now, it's about the firewall. Janyu, I need to know if you can construct a new Ark that we can use to bring Takato home if we find him. One that can, if necessary, get past the firewall."

"I…" Janyu hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'll see what I can do. I'll need to pull in the others of course."

"Do whatever you need," Yamaki nodded. "I'll do what I can on my end regarding the firewall, but your top priority is to find a way to bring Takato home once we find him."

**###**

Jeri sat in the waiting room of the hospital, holding Takato's gold-trimmed digivice in her hands, having stumbled upon it in the broken street, bereft of its owner. No doubt Takato had dropped it in the massive chaos of the battle before being taken by the dark Gallantmon. She caressed the golden ring that surrounded the screen, worry in her heart.

_Is he okay?_ she wondered. _What does that other Gallantmon want with you? Why…?_

Around and around her thoughts went, and had been going since arriving at the hospital, waiting for Rika to be released, as the hospital was presently only allowing close family to be with her. The girl's grandmother had texted her, letting her know that Rika was okay for the most part, something that had brought her a great swell of relief.

_I…I don't know if I could stand it if I…I lost them both as well as Leomon! I… Takato! Where are you? Please be somewhere that's safe!_

She wished Calumon were there, if only to give herself something to distract her with. She almost felt herself sinking back into her old depression, helpless to do anything except wait and watch. She…

Movement caught her attention from out of the corner of her eye. Rather, movement that belonged to a familiar head of red hair. Looking up, her heart cried out in joy at the sight of Rika as she emerged from the elevator with her family, leaning a bit on Renamon. Almost without thinking, Jeri flung herself out of her chair and charged the length of the waiting room, managing just barely to restrain herself from flying headlong into Rika as she drew closer, seeing now how unsteady she was on her feet still. Drawing to a halt before the startled girl, Jeri took a shaky breath and then promptly hugged her.

"Ah! Jeri…!"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" the smaller, brunette said, squeezing her taller friend tightly to her, as if afraid that by letting go, she would collapse into a heap on the floor. "When MarineAngemon helped you and Renamon to the ground, you looked so…so… Oh! Your hand!"

Drawing back, she hastily snatched hold of Rika's wrist, her amber eyes carefully inspecting the limb. The flesh was still swollen and dark with bruises, but it no longer looked as bad as it did earlier. Her fingers worked along the skin tenderly, only to pause as Rika winced at her touch.

"Sorry," she said, pressing her lips together at that. Rika looked away.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed about," she muttered. "It's my fault anyway."

Jeri raised a curious eyebrow at that. For some reason, it felt to her that Rika meant something more than just her injury. Before she could ask what she meant, Rika disentangled herself from the girl and looked over at her family. Something passed between them that wasn't said out loud, and Rumiko's shoulders sagged, though she nodded reluctantly. Approaching her daughter, Rumiko drew her into a hug again.

"Just come home safe, please? And call me if anything happens. I'll…I'll have dinner ready for when you get home."

"Oh, Mom…" Rika said softly. They held each other like that for a moment longer before pulling away. Nodding to her grandmother and then to Renamon, Rika hurried on toward the exit, brushing past Jeri, leaving the smaller girl a bit confused as to what was going on before hurrying after her.

"Rika!" she called out as the three of them exited the hospital together. "What…"

_"ESKIMO KISSES!"_

At once, Calumon dropped down in front of Rika and flew directly at her face, bumping their noses together. In spite of things, Jeri couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the creampuff digimon doing his absolute best to cheer everyone up while a luminescent blush bloomed across Rika's cheeks and ears.

Calumon always knew how to alter a mood at the drop of a hat, and he would drop it himself at the first opportunity.

Rika, however, didn't look the least bit happy, yet she didn't appear angry either. Taking hold of the tiny digimon, she drew him close and hugged him to her.

"I wasn't allowed to come into the hospital because I can't disguise myself like Renamon can," Calumon said, popping his head up. Slipping out of her arms, he flew up atop Rika's head and sat himself there. "But here I am! So what's happening, huh? Are we going to rescue Takato now?"

"What else would I be doing right now?" Rika asked, starting off with her partner following closely behind. Jeri hesitated before falling into step beside her friend, her heart starting to feel lighter. This was why she knew Takato was in good hands. There was no one else that she knew who would keep fighting no matter what.

"That's great!" she exclaimed, picking up her pace so that she was now shoulder to shoulder alongside the girl. "Did Henry call you? Did he find a portal or anything?"

"No," Rika said flatly, her attention straight ahead of her and seeming to ignore the brunette. Jeri frowned, pausing in her stride at this unusual behavior. It was rare for Rika to be so brusque with her. Why…?

Rika's legs buckled slightly as she reached the intersection, and Renamon was suddenly by her side, holding her by the shoulders.

"Rika?" the kitsune began, only for the fire-haired girl to shake her head.

"Guess I'm still a little bit wobbly from the drugs. I'll be fine when we get to Guilmon's old home."

"Do you want me to take you there?"

Jeri drew up behind them as Rika contemplated the question her partner's question.

"Why do you need to go to Guilmon's old place?" she asked. Regaining her balance, Rika straightened up and planted a hand on her hip.

"Because," she began simply, her tone hard, "it'd be just our luck if one appeared there like it did the _last_ two times one did that. So I think I'm just going to start things off by cutting out a city-wide search and go right to the usual suspect."

"Do you really think one will be there?"

Rika didn't meet Jeri's eyes – deliberately so from her perspective – as she took out her digivice and an evolution card. Renamon dropped her disguise, and one quick slash later, the vulpine digimon digivolved into her Champion form of Kyubimon once more. She knelt down, allowing Rika an easier time to climb aboard. After only a second's pause, Jeri hurried over and did likewise.

"Wha…?" Rika began in surprise as she felt Jeri's arms wrap about her waist.

"I want to come," Jeri insisted, leaning her head against Rika's back.

"Jeri, I'm going to find a way to the digital world! You can't…!"

"I'm _coming!"_ Jeri squeezed Rika's waist tight with her arms, her tone making it clear that there would be no argument. "Please, Rika."

The violet-eyed girl closed her eyes and tightened her grip about Kyubimon's ribbons.

"Fine," she said in a hushed whisper. "But if we find a portal at Guilmon's place, you're not following me, got it? I'm _not_ losing you too." She dropped her head before continuing in a softer voice. "It's bad enough that I couldn't keep my promise."

Jeri lifted her head at that. "What do you…?"

But before Jeri could say or do anything more, Rika gave Kyubimon's ribs a nudge, and just like that, the two girls were in the air, wind streaming over their faces.

**###**

Takato awoke with a groan, finding a flat, smiling face of light hovering over him. With a start, he sat up, crying out with surprise, his remaining hand flailing about to swat the digignome away from him. The creature giggled and fluttered back, joining others that surrounded him. They were scarcely a dozen in number, and all focused on him.

"Uh… Hey guys," he greeted cautiously, looking about before settling on Guilmon, who was lying next to him. "Ah! Guilmon!" he cried out, his hand moving to wake him. The crimson dinosaur groaned as he was nudged and tried to roll away.

"Five more minutes," he muttered sleepily.

"Guilmon! This is _not_ the time to be asleep! Oh man… Please tell me you're okay, boy! The last thing I remember was…"

A flash, and memory hit him like a truck. An image of WarGrowlmon, speared through by the cruel, black lance of Gallantmon's dark counterpart, and his Atomic Blaster erupting at point blank range. Then…nothing.

"Where…?" he began, looking back up at the digignomes, alerting him to his answer.

_The digital world. We're in the digital world._

With the shake of the earth, a shadow loomed over the pair just then, and Takato turned to find the dark Gallantmon standing directly behind them, an obelisk of blue, grey and black, and eyes that were silent and cruel. Lifting its lance, electricity sparked at the tip. Takato met its eyes and a cry of fear and anger erupted from his mouth. The knight was unmoved however.

It brought its lance down and wordlessly fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bear to get through. I had the shape of it worked out, save for one or two scenes, but overall even the scenes I already knew were going to be in there just refused to come together. Off day is off day.


	16. Chapter 16

Takato felt the heat as the light washed over him, but this time, the certainty of his impending death now before him, he glared defiance at the oncoming wave of electricity. Instinctively, he stepped before Guilmon, interposing his body between him and the attack in the hopes that, somehow, his partner would emerge unscathed and find his way home.

The attack didn't connect however. Instead, it roared over him as Guilmon suddenly bowled over him, the pair collapsing to the ground. The blast surged through empty air as they rolled away, slamming into the forest behind them, causing the trees to detonate and explode into shards of data and splinters of wood and the limbs of severed branches. Smoke began to rise up, choking the air as fire leapt up along the remains, delightedly devouring them hungrily.

"Are you okay, Takato?" Guilmon asked as the teen coughed, having inhaled a lungful of smoke.

"Y-Yeah," he choked out harshly, his eyes and throat stinging painfully as the black cloud wafted over them. "Come on! We've got to get out of…"

The earth shook just then, and suddenly the smoke burst apart, revealing the black knight, glaring down the point of its silver and blue lance, gold eyes flashing angrily in the light of the fire, painting its armor with a demonic visage of flickering light. Hefting its weapon, it once again took aim right at them.

_"Pyro Sphere!"_ Guilmon shouted, rearing back as an ember glow burned in the back of his throat before a crimson fireball rocketed out, slamming into the knight's armor with no appreciable effect. Eyes narrowing, as if annoyed by the dinosaur's continued defiance, the knight slammed its lance into the earth, sending cracks spiraling out that ran beneath their feet. As Takato watched, stupefied by this act, his eyes met the knight's gold-colored gaze, and dread-filled realization fell over him.

"Guilmon! We've got to r -!"

That was as far as he got before lightning exploded from under them, shattering the earth and sending them plummeting down into the abyss below.

_"Takato!"_ Guilmon cried as the world above was swallowed by darkness, leaving their last sight of the digital sky shadowed by the dark form of the Gallantmon, illuminated solely by the digignomes that were rapidly swarming about it.

**###**

When Takato awoke again, it was in utter darkness. Sitting up, he blinked, trying to see if they would adjust, but quickly found that nothing but blackness surrounded him on all sides, leaving him with a sense of a heavy weight wrapped around his eyes and pressing down on him on all sides. This, comparatively speaking to earlier, was of little concern, as he didn't find himself under attack. The absence of the dark, twisted Gallantmon was considerably better luck than he felt he would get, so he thanked whatever gods looked out for him and his partner…

_Guilmon!_

"Guilmon! Guilmon!" he called out, feeling about with his hand. "Where are you boy?"

"Over here…" came the response, to which Takato found himself relaxing almost immediately. Guilmon was okay!

_As long as we're together, we can do anything!_ he thought, his heart managing to cheer a little before his hand splashed into icy-cold water, causing him to cry out in surprise.

"Takato! Are you okay?!" came Guilmon's voice, sounding alarmed.

"Y-Yeah," Takato nodded before remembering that his partner likely couldn't see him in such pitch blackness. "There's a pool or something next to me. Where are you?"

"I'm coming over to you." There was a sound of sniffing for a moment before the dinosaur continued. "You're not that far. Stay right there, Takatomon!"

"Oh, I don't think I'll be going far," Takato replied, brushing his fingers against the surface of the water before slipping his hand a bit deeper inside. The water encompassed his whole hand easily, telling him that, if nothing else, the pool that he found was fairly deep. Not that they needed to worry about something like breathing under water in the digital world, but there were certainly problems, especially if they couldn't see where they were going.

_Wait! My digivice can make some light!_ His hand scrambled frantically at his waist, and after a second of confused patting, Takato's eyes grew wide with dawning horror.

"Oh, man! Don't tell me that I…"

"Don't tell you what?"

_"WHAAA!"_

Shouting in surprise at his partner sneaking up on him, Takato fell forward and crashed into the water. At once, he was assaulted by a freezing grip as the pool closed around him, threatening to stop his heart from the sudden shock. It didn't take long however for him to hit the bottom, and he rose up quickly, breaking free from the icy embrace, teeth chattering violently.

"Good thing you said you weren't going far," came Guilmon's voice, helping the boy back to the shore, rubbing him down as best he could.

"V-V-Very f-funny, G-Guilmon!" Takato shivered, curling up into a ball so as to keep his body heat centered and contained as best he could. _Oh man… We're in serious trouble here!_

"I wasn't trying to be funny," Guilmon said, curling up about his partner as best he could to help him stay warm. "So, what did you mean by not telling you something?"

"M-My digivice! I lost my digivice!" Takato stammered out, his body slowly starting to relax and return to normal. As per the digital world's strange rules, his clothes weren't soaked and neither was the rest of him, allowing his core body temperature to rise rapidly once freed from the water. It struck him as odd though. The last time he had been in the digital world and swimming in its 'water,' there hadn't been any problems with temperature either. He wondered if he had forgotten that and as soon as he took a dunk, his senses hit him with what it expected to experience in such a deep, dark cave.

_Just got to stay calm! It'll be okay!_

The loss of his digivice however told a different story however.

"Maybe it's somewhere nearby?" Guilmon asked, sniffing as he rose to his feet. "Wait right here."

"Guilmon…"

"Hm?"

Takato's heart clenched. He was hating this utter darkness. He was _desperate_ for light of _some_ kind just so he could take stock of his situation. He wasn't by any means a claustrophobe, but even this shadow-filled cave felt oppressive, making his head feel as though it were being squeezed in a vice. What was worse, his imagination was starting to conjure up images of what awaited them this deep in the cold earth. Old, childhood fears of the dark that he thought long suppressed and grown out of began to surface, something that he knew was dangerous in the digital world.

_Guilmon… He doesn't sense danger, so we should be fine. I've…got to remember that._

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and the fear abated somewhat. It still pulsed in the back of his mind however. A dark, needy little spider hanging in the shadowy webs of his mind…watching. Waiting.

"Takato?"

"Light," he said at last at Guilmon's voice. "Can you find anything to light, or, you know, if you can't, fire off a Pyro Sphere so that we can see what's around us before you go looking?"

"Uh-huh," Guilmon replied in that way he did when he usually nodded his head. The image filled his mind, and Takato smiled a little. After a moment, the dinosaur's glowing mouth broke the darkness, revealing his white abdomen and the hazard sign emblazoned on it. Rearing back, he fired off into the darkness, striking a wall on the opposite end. Darkness invaded Takato's vision once again, but in that brief glance, he saw a great deal. There was a vast expanse of water before them, but it didn't occupy the whole of the cave. The cave itself was clear, at least in so far as he could tell visually. Between himself and Guilmon's nose, it was likely that they had it all to themselves.

"Okay…" Takato nodded, turning. "That's…a start I guess. Now what about something to see…?"

As he said those words, there came a glow beneath the dark waters, and both Tamer and digimon drew back, half expecting trouble awakened by Guilmon's attack. Instead, much to their surprise and relief, a digignome slid out of the pool, its curved, smiling face and solid, black eyes facing them. It giggled and spread its long arms out, flying toward them in a long, arching path. Takato gave a light chuckle as it flew between himself and Guilmon before rising toward the roof of the cave.

"Wow, hey there," he greeted, following its course as it lit the way. "Boy, are we sure glad to see a friendly face here."

"Uh-huh!" Guilmon agreed. "We got into a big fight with a mean digimon! It's a good thing he didn't follow us down here, or else we would be made to look like that special jam that Takato's mom likes to use as bread filling!"

"You and food…"

"It's true!"

"Hmmm..." Takato's eyes fell on a gaping hole in the ceiling above them as the digignome flew beneath it. "Why _didn't_ he follow us down here?"

It didn't make much sense. Falling in the digital world didn't appear to be a problem for anyone that he was aware of, human or digimon. At least, not in his experience, and that dark Gallantmon definitely wanted them dead for some reason.

_Why didn't he follow us?_

The darkness of the cave felt like something to be concerned about all of a sudden.

"Uh… Hey!" he called out to the Digignome. "Do you know how to get out of here? And…um…have you seen a digivice or…anything like it?"

Takato grimaced, pain flaring up in his stump. He clutched at it, and the digignome, seeing this, flew down to the ground, tilting its head quizzically at him. Takato massaged his stump, feeling the pain recede a little bit and flexed the ghostly fingers that he still felt…

He paused and blinked, looking down. Guilmon noticed it too, as his gold eyes grew wide in amazement.

"Takato… You have an _arm_ again!"

Sure enough, there, attached to the stump, was a ghostly, shadow of the limb that he lost, a cloud of static flowing along its length as he opened and closed its fingers.

"No way…" Takato breathed in awe.

**###**

Kyubimon settled atop the roof to the concrete bunker that, once upon a time, served as Guilmon's home away from home. Rika hopped off her partner alongside Jeri and Calumon, and the kitsune digimon quickly morphed back to her Rookie form of Renamon. Wordlessly, Rika jumped down from the roof, and soon enough the familiar sound of the squeaky gate rang upon the air as the fire-haired girl drew it open. Jeri stood there for a moment, her amber eyes thoughtful before she exchanged a look with Renamon. As always, the vulpine digimon remained difficult to read, but the girl sensed a concern in them about Rika's choice of action as well as with her words.

_There's something more going on here,_ Jeri read in them, remembering their conversation on the rooftop.

"She sure is focused," Calumon observed with wide, green eyes.

"She rarely isn't," Renamon nodded.

"Hey!" came Rika's call from below. "Are you coming, Renamon?"

The three looked over the edge to find her standing outside the bunker once more, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Of course," Renamon replied, jumping down to join her partner. Calumon hopped up, only to pause and look up, as if he spotted something off in the distance. His ears expanded, he jumped off, and flew up.

"Calumon?"

"I'll be right back, Jeri!" he called back, floating into the woods. "I thought I saw something!"

"Um…okay…" Jeri tilted her head to one side, not for the first time amazed at how the tiny creampuff of a digimon could so easily have his attention snatched up by everything and anything that came across his path.

_Especially when there's food involved,_ she thought. _He's worse than Guilmon._

Kneeling down, Jeri carefully slid her legs over the edge and dropped down in front of the gate. Brushing her dress off, she turned and found the pair standing in the dark of the concrete hut, Rika fanning through her cards. Stepping inside, she looked down at the smooth floor, remembering how, once upon a time, Guilmon had torn it all up and, later, dug still deeper, tunneling until he found a portal to the digital world right when they needed it most.

Since the end of their first adventure, and with the discovery of a second portal in that tunnel, Yamaki had it filled up with concrete, hoping beyond hope that the portal would become unreachable and eventually vanish on its own. So it had been ever since.

_Until now,_ Jeri thought, her eyes flickering over to Rika's deck as she drew out a Digmon card, a fairly recent addition as she recalled, remembering how they once found themselves needing to rescue survivors of a digimon attack by drilling down to them; something Rika hadn't been quite prepared for at the time, her deck being primarily geared for combat and little else.

_Rika once told me that you could read a lot about a person's personality and thoughts based on what's in their decks,_ she thought, steeling herself. She wondered again if this was a good idea, or even the right time to talk about this, but seeing how her friend was so set on finding a way to the digital world without so much as a plan… No matter how concerned she was for Takato, she realized she couldn't just let this go.

"Rika?" Jeri began as her friend pocketed her deck and took out her digivice.

"Yeah?" Rika responded flatly, still not even turning to look at her. Jeri bit the inside of her cheek at this. Yes, she was sure of it now. There _was_ something more going on that ate away at her friend, and as worried as she was about Takato, she couldn't let Rika go without at least _some_ acknowledgement of it being brought to the surface. She could understand being concerned about potentially losing another friend – afraid even – as it appeared to be with Takato. She was plenty worried herself! So much so that she was struggling to keep a cool head. At the same time however, she didn't want to lose _two_ friends in all of this.

Yes, there was more. Rika wasn't just worried. She appeared – and sounded – ashamed. A trait Takato shared, often to his detriment. She could understand that, having felt such emotions often enough following Leomon's death, but beneath Rika's shame lay something else.

_"It's bad enough that I couldn't keep my promise,"_ came the echo of Rika's words earlier as they left the hospital. Narrowing her eyes, Jeri took hold of her courage and spoke.

"About what you said earlier on our way up here… What were you talking about? What promise did you make?"

At that, Rika finally turned and looked at her, her eyebrows raised in shock.

"What are _you_ talking about?" she asked, a little heat suddenly making itself known in her voice, causing Jeri to stiffen up anxiously. "You made me promise to keep an eye on…on…"

The fire-haired girl, seeing the tension that ran through Jeri, paused and took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself.

"I promised that I'd keep an eye on Takato for you," she resumed, opening her eyes. "I…haven't done a very good job of that lately." Looking away with anger burning in her eyes, she looked at the card in her hands. "Him getting hurt… Then getting _kidnapped!_ That's on me. But I'm not giving up. I _won't_ give up just because of a little setback like this. I'll bring him back to you. Or die trying!"

Jeri froze up at that, but quickly pushed past it, not allowing herself so much as a second longer to be affected by the word and all the weight that held. If she did… If she allowed herself much more than a second…than it might very well mean that Rika might die trying to fulfill her promise.

_That…promise…_ She thought back on that day years ago when she told Rika that her family was moving away. It had been such a small thing in her mind at the time. More of an acknowledgement really of how Takato could be. Closing her eyes, she found herself once more on Rika's porch on a clear summer day much like today almost two years ago.

**###**

The birds chirped and sang their songs as they sat on their branches. Rika was sitting before Jeri, but unlike the brunette, she did not sing. Not vocally, but Jeri more than filled what would otherwise be silence by humming for the both of them. Her tune was low and melancholy, flowing in time with her hands as she brought the brush down on Rika's silken, red hair.

"So…that's it then," Rika said finally, her tone crestfallen. Jeri nodded, setting the brush down and taking hold of Rika's hair, separating a thick handful from the rest and taking up Rika's hair tie. Tense minutes had passed since Jeri had dropped the bombshell that she was moving away, and Rika hadn't said anything in that time, instead digesting it, slowly, giving it the weighty consideration that such news deserved. Clearly, she wasn't happy, as the tension in her body more than indicated.

"Dad started getting serious about it after the Parasimon attack," Jeri said, tying the hair together so that it fell down the side of Rika's face and down her shoulder. She gave a low, soft giggle, a touch halfhearted. "And then there was that Jagamon stampede. Remember how it tore up that whole intersection?"

"Yeah," Rika nodded as Jeri took up some more hair and began to fiddle with it, braiding the strands together. "But…what does that have to do with anything? Those little guys surrendered quick once we showed up."

"Well… It's just… That's the route I take to get to school. And…digimon attacks happen so frequently in our neighborhoods…"

She lowered her head, her voice dropping.

"If…If that happens during the school year while we're still here… Dad's afraid that I might… I might end up getting hurt worse than…than I was before."

Rika shifted, turning toward her friend, her eyes shimmering in emotion as the realization fell heavily on her.

"Jeri…"

A gust of wind blew across the two of them, and the long, side ponytail that Jeri had fixed up for Rika blew across the girl's face, causing her to spit and sputter in surprise while Jeri burst out giggling at the sight.

"J-Jeri!" Rika stammered out between strands of hair caught in her lips. "This… Why are you _laughing_ when you're telling me that you're leaving?!"

"Sorry," the brown-haired girl replied, wiping at her eyes. "It's just…" She smiled. "I guess I'd rather laugh than not. I've…I've done a lot of crying since Leomon died, and I'm a little sick of it."

A pall of silence fell over the two, and after a moment, Jeri spoke up again.

"Rika? Could you do me a favor?"

"If I can." Rika brushed aside her 'new look,' half glaring at it for cutting into their time the way it did. "What's up?"

"Could you…keep an eye on Takato for me when I'm not around? Since I, you know, won't be able to as often anymore."

Rika's expression softened before she looked away.

"I'll…do what I can," she said finally. "I promise."

"Thanks, Rika," Jeri smiled, relaxing a little. Taking up her brush again, she began smoothing out her friend's hair again, unknotting her worries as she did so. "I mean it. Out of everyone he's friends with, I think you're the best one. You always manage to keep him grounded."

"That's because _someone_ needs to when he's such a Gogglehead," Rika _harrumphed_ in annoyance. "You indulge him too much."

Jeri giggled at that, continuing to stroke her hair. "Sorry. I do, don't I? But I can't help it. He's just so…"

"…cute," Rika cut in, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know. You've only said that a hundred times already."

"Come on, Rika! You've got to admit that he _is_ cute!"

"I guess…for a Gogglehead," Rika grumbled, a rosy discoloration touching her cheeks. "Anyway, I'm not holding his hand for him. He doesn't need me to do that."

"Too bad for you then," Jeri laughed, starting to form a bun atop Rika's head. "He has cute hands too."

"Oh, for goodness sake…"

**###**

A light gust of wind played along the trees behind them, and Jeri hugged her arm close to her, massaging it, her mind a jumble of thoughts and confused feelings.

"I…didn't mean for you to take it so seriously. I mean, I only asked that you just…keep an eye on him since I couldn't be around like I used to, and…" She paused, chewing on her lower lip before continuing. What _was_ going on here?

_Rika would have cared enough anyway to be doing this even without a promise, so…why…?_

She focused on that thought, but try as she might, she couldn't tease out a reason why _this_ was so different from any other time before.

"I'm glad you care about him so much though…" She trailed off, looking at Rika's rigid back, her hands clenched into tight fists. Her eyes softened.

"He's my friend," Rika replied, her voice thick with emotion. "One of my best friends. Of _course,_ I'm going to care. I… Stupid Gogglehead! He… I…didn't…didn't mean to…"

Rika broke off, her fists tightening.

_Oh, Rika…_

Approaching from behind, Jeri wrapped her arms around Rika and drew her close, bringing her head to rest against the girl's back.

"Please, don't beat yourself up over this," she whispered softly, giving the taller girl's waist a soft squeeze. Sometimes…Sometimes things just happen…"

"And things don't _have_ to 'just happen!'" Rika snapped angrily, disentangling herself from Jeri's arms. "We choose our own destiny! You might not have been serious when you asked me to keep an eye on that Gogglehead, but _I was!_ I love…!"

Her mouth snapped shut just then, and for one long moment, she fumed silently under Jeri's wide, stunned eyes before setting the card to her digivice's slot.

"Rika?" began Jeri tentatively, her mind rapidly processing Rika's last words. _Love? Did she…Did she just say what I think…?_ Her eyes flickered over to Renamon, who regarded the whole scene passively, not saying so much as a word.

"Rika… What were you about to say? You…?"

Unfortunately for her, the fire-haired girl wasn't interested in elaborating any further on the subject.

"This is stupid, and we're wasting time. _Digi-Modify! Digmon's Drill activate!"_

Renamon raised her hands up with a cry, her claws glowing as data gathered around them, morphing the appendages into a pair of drill bits. Without even taking a second, the vulpine digimon knelt down and the drills slammed into the concrete, tearing it up with ease as Jeri jumped, plugging her ears against the harsh sound. Bearing down, Renamon quickly widened the hole, and within short order disappeared into the abyss, taking the noise along with her.

Pocketing her digivice as Jeri lowered her hands, Rika knelt down along the edge of Renamon's tunnel and took hold of it.

"Rika, wait!"

"I'm _done_ waiting," she shot back, but as if realizing how her tone must have sounded, she paused and looked back over her shoulder. Jeri could see the twisting, winding storm of emotion that lay within her violet gaze, but only for a moment, as her friend quickly hid it away.

"Don't follow me," she said firmly. "I'll bring him back."

With that, she dropped down into the hole.

Jeri felt a great surge of anger swell up within her and without a second thought, rushed over to the tunnel and all but threw herself into it.

"I said _wait!"_

"Wha…? Jeri!" Shock writ itself upon Rika's face at seeing the normally passive girl come tumbling after her, roaring like a lion. Jeri could hardly blame her. She wasn't used to being challenged in such a manner, least of all by Jeri of all people. The sound of Renamon's tunneling, distant now, paused, and silence reigned between the two girls as Jeri, crouched low, made her way over, amber eyes blazing in the shadows. Rika's unfinished sentence about _loving_ echoed through her mind, yet she set that aside for now. For the moment, it was the _least_ important thing in her mind other than trying to help her friend keep her head cool.

_Love makes people do strange things,_ she thought, coming to a halt in front of Rika, her breath coming out in loud billows like a lion as it prepared to sink its teeth into its captured prey.

_"Stop_ treating me like I'm a fragile piece of glass," she said fiercely, grabbing hold of Rika's arm, her grasp showing surprising strength. "I didn't like it when Takato did that to me, and I didn't like it when my _father_ treated me like that. Please…" Her grip loosened and her expression softened. "Don't be like that too. I get that you're upset, and…and so am I, but don't throw everything away like this. Remember how badly we kept getting lost in the digital world before?"

"So, what am I supposed to do then?" Rika shot back, her own temper starting to fray. "That Gallantmon knockoff was looking to kill him! What if it kills him _now_ because we're sitting here _arguing?!"_

"For goodness sake, Rika! Do you even know where to start looking?"

"Hey! What's all the noise down here about?!"

Both girls looked up toward the entry to the tunnel to find Calumon dropping down from the light with a dark-furred creature with a pale face, a red scarf and gloves, and an nasty-looking, devilish, yellow smiling face emblazoned on his stomach.

_Impmon!_ Jeri thought in recognition.

"Lookit who I caught!" Calumon beamed, his tiny smile proud and shining.

"You didn't catch me," Impmon scoffed, looking down at his shorter companion. "I just happened to be passing by and you saw me. What? Did you think we were playing hide and seek or something?"

"Well, you've been gone for a long, long time…"

"I was gone a week! With my partners! I _told_ you we were going to… Ugh. You know what? Never mind." Crossing his gloved hands across his chest, he looked at Jeri and Rika questioningly. "So, what's the big deal here? Are you digging for any of Guilmon's 'buried treasure?' I'm pretty sure you're wasting your time. That stuff always has an expiration date you know. That's like…what? Day old plus three years or something?"

"We're…checking to see if there's a portal to the digital world here," Jeri replied. "Takato…"

_"Gogglehead_ got kidnapped," Rika cut in irritably, quickly disentangling herself from Jeri's grasp and starting back down the tunnel. "What's Renamon doing? She's been quiet for a while now. I… Oh!"

A soft glow began to emerge from deep within the tunnel now, and at once dawning comprehension fell upon the two girls.

"Oh no…" said Rika in a hushed voice. "Renamon!"

With that, she rose up on her feet and darted forward. Scrambling to her feet, Jeri did likewise, much to Impmon and Calumon's dismay. The light grew in intensity, washing over them and with that, they pixelated briefly and then…vanished.

_"JERI!"_ Calumon squealed as they ran into the light. He jumped forward, only to be snatched back by Impmon. Not even bothering to explain himself, the dark, impish digimon tucked Calumon in his arms and rocketed out of the hole before the expanding portal could catch them too. They struck the hard surface of the outdoors and rolled until they smacked up against the gate, leaving the pair groaning as they saw stars swimming in their vision.

"I'm back for not even an hour and just like that it's back to everything going crazy again. Ba-boom."

"I've got to save Jeri!" Calumon panted, starting to squirm his way through the fireworks still going off in his brain.

"Oh, no you don't!" Impmon declared, tightening his grip on his friend. Climbing to his feet, he shot the two of them past the gate and tossed Calumon into the air.

"Impmon! What…?"

"Go find the others and let them know what's happened!" Impmon ordered. "I'm going after them! Fox face could probably handle things on her own, but her partner made it sound like she got snatched up first, so who _knows_ what's going on! And I'm better equipped to go into the digital world than you, pipsqueak!"

"I don't know…" Calumon tapped his paw against his chin. "I had no problems the last time I was there…"

"Calumon. Find. The. Others. _Now!_ Before I get _really_ mad! I promise I'll keep Jeri safe for you, now get _going!"_

"All right! But I'm coming back!" Calumon said, whirling about and heading off at a rapid pace. _Tsking,_ Impmon turned back around.

"Here's hoping the portal won't be there when you get back," he said. "The last thing we need is to go hunting for you again, creampuff."

With that, he hopped back into the hut and vanished down into the tunnel.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! Apologies again for the delay. Being sick sucks, and it took me a bit to get back into the swing of things on top of that. But now that I'm getting back into the saddle, let's get this show on the road. :D

The door to Rika's bedroom slid open and Rumiko stepped inside, a somber look on her face. She was hesitant to invade her daughter's privacy like this, but at the same time, the quiet of the household upon returning to it coupled with recent events left her unsettled. She cast her eyes about the room, making note of how very little was left out in the open for others to see, a sign of Rika's desire to not be picked apart by visitors, something of a relic from her childhood.

Rumiko couldn't help but feel some measure of responsibility for that, but she knew her daughter well enough now that the girl would simply shrug it off, preferring to be happy with the friends she made, who accepted her for who she was and had fought beside her through thick and thin. Far better that than to think about the what-ifs and what could have been had things been just a little bit different.

Her eyes falling on the girl's dresser, she spied the lone photograph sitting atop it and wandered over and took it up, her hand falling on the image of her daughter at a younger age, decked out in a striped, sleeveless top and a hat to ward her skin from the sun, her infamous ponytail facing downward now to make room for it. Accompanying her were Takato and Henry, the former with a wide smile on his face as he leaned backward, flashing the camera with a V-sign while Henry held a more subdued, but no less happy look.

Rika, by contrast, smiled not at all, and looked more to be tolerating the presence of her friends in the same manner that she tolerated the camera that took their photo. Rumiko didn't quite recall the events surrounding this photo. At the time, Rika gave her the excuse that she just took a plane to see her friends on a whim – something that surprised her at the time as she hadn't been aware that Rika _had_ friends – but later on the true story came out. Rika treated it as fairly standard fare at the time, and Rumiko could only breathe in a sigh of relief knowing that her baby-girl was safe and sound.

_Is she safe now?_ she wondered, her hand tightening around the picture frame. _Will she be able to come home like last time? Will she be able to come home at all?_ That last question hung in the air perilously. Previously, returning home from the digital world was such a dangerous and complicated situation that Hypnos had gotten involved, requiring as many computers in the world as possible and the construction of an 'arc' to pull off successfully, and even then, it almost failed.

"Did I do the right thing letting her go?" she whispered to herself, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. A hand fell on her shoulder just then, causing the woman to jump and yelp in surprise before whirling about to find her mother looking at her apologetically.

"Sorry," Seiko said. "I didn't mean to surprise you like that."

"No, no." Rumiko wiped at her eyes furiously. "I wasn't paying attention and…and…" She sighed heavily. "I'm no good as a mother, am I?"

Seiko's eyes widened briefly at that before she tilted her head to one side questioningly.

"Rumiko! Whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

"I…" The woman swallowed before continuing. "I guess…I was just thinking about how if I were really a good mother, I wouldn't have let her go like that. I…" She trailed off, worrying over her lip, trying to think about how best to continue. "I should have done something, shouldn't I? Stopped her. Called someone to help. Or…" She closed her eyes. "Mom… _I_ should have been the Tamer in that situation. What kind of parent lets their children rush off into danger like that? She said she was going to go off into that digital world and bring her friend back no matter what! I…" She tightened her grip even further on the picture, tears blurring her vision. "I've _never_ done that for her!"

Wordlessly, Seiko pulled her daughter into a hug, and Rumiko all but collapsed into her arms, a choking sob breaking free from her mouth. The sound hurt her even worse, as it only served to remind her of how different she was from Rika. Rika, who dove into battle willingly to protect those she cared about, while she…

_All I ever worried about for so long was that she grew up to be just like me,_ Rumiko thought bitterly. _That she follow in my footsteps and become a model. And after that, all I've ever done is worry and worry and never lift a finger to protect her…_

As if sensing her dark thoughts, Seiko gave her a squeeze and drew back.

"I seem to remember that we had a long talk with the other families about this," she said, her tone kind. "Do you?"

Rumiko sniffed, nodding, all the while wishing she didn't feel like such a child right now, needing to be comforted by her mother while her daughter was off in an alien world, facing danger. Yet, she did remember. She remembered how no one was fine with their children being Tamers, yet, at the same time, recognizing that what they did no one else could. Their situation was unique, and they could not ignore that when the world was in danger.

Seeing that Rumiko's recollection, Seiko nodded and placed a hand on her arm, squeezing her again.

"Why don't we give the Matsuki's a call?" she suggested. "It's times like this that we ought to support each other."

"R-Right," Rumiko replied shakily before collecting herself. Running a hand through her hair, she took out her cell phone and began to scroll through her contacts list. Pressing her lips together, her thumb hesitated over the call button before pressing down on it.

**###**

All about, there was a deep, electrical buzzing, and letters and equations drifted lazily about on a current that none could see. Waving a gloved hand in front of his face, Impmon cleared it of a plus sign before sniffing the air and sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Despite its relaxing, almost draining nature, Impmon hated the blue light that washed over him. The spatial warp that lay between the two worlds reminded him too much of when he first made his deal with the Deva, Caturamon and, later, when Hypnos' Juggernaut program tore him away from his partners and sent him back to the digital world. The fact that the place it led to, the digital world, tended to be a harsh, violent place – much more so than the human world he lived in – didn't help this impression much.

_Guilmon hates flood tunnels because every time he went into one, something bad happened,_ he thought. _This is the same for me. Ugh. At least ol' Pineapple Head's tunnel actually looks like it's going to give you a problem. This place is like, "Hey, come on in and have a nice nap right before you get dropped into crazy town."_

Almost right away, he found himself drifting back into old thoughts when he had been what he thought was his lowest point, but he quickly snapped himself back to attention. He needed to stay focused. Jeri and Rika and Renamon were around here somewhere. The question however was 'where?'

Shielding his eyes from the blue light, Impmon swung his face around, hoping to catch sight of them in the immense, digital ocean.

"This whole thing is crazy," he muttered under his breath. "What was I thinking jumping in after them like this? They could be _anywhere_ by now! Or…" He paused and looked up, finding the Jeri clinging to Rika tightly as the fire-haired girl held her protectively. Quickly, he swam up to them.

"Glad to see you're okay so far," he said, coming to a halt. "So which one of you two would like to fill me in on things. Seems like a lot happened while I was gone." He quickly looked around. "Where's Fox face?"

"Right here," came the voice of Renamon as she materialized directly behind the two girls and took hold of them in her palms. Jeri made a soft, moaning sound and clung all the more tightly to Rika, seeming to be upset by floating in midair. Taking out her sunglasses, Rika slipped them onto Jeri's face.

"Here," she said, clenching her eyes shut to keep out the light as the digital ocean suddenly brightened. "Renamon, what happened?"

"What happened?" Impmon asked incredulously as Jeri cracked her eyes open, relaxing a little now that her vision was no longer as intense as it had been. "Seems kinda obvious, don't it? Fox face stumbled on the portal, didn't she? Why else would we be here?"

"It's not quite as simple as that," Renamon said, their bodies blurring as the space fluctuated about them. "The portal was small when I found it. _Very_ small. I didn't even think it would be of much use to us in getting to the digital world, but then it suddenly _grew."_

She looked at the two girls contemplatively, and Impmon cocked his head to one side.

_I know that look,_ he thought, wondering just why she had it. He grimaced in frustration. He was _greatly_ out of the loop. Just _what_ could have happened?

_Great. I'm gone for a week and it's like the whole world came close to ending or something. Why can't there be a dull day for once? I feel like we ain't had a break in forever._

"So what happens now?" he asked, deciding to keep the conversation moving. Until they could hit a rest stop, they needed to prioritize the here and now.

_"That_ should be obvious," Rika grunted. "Renamon and I are going to find Takato." Cracking open an eye, she looked at Jeri. Frowning behind Rika's sunglasses, Jeri shifted.

"You're _not_ leaving me out of that," she said fiercely. "You don't even know where to begin _looking!"_

"Neither do you."

"I have his _digivice!"_ Jeri burst out, snatching it out of her dress pocket and holding it in front of her. Her eyes were angry and her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk. "Rika, _please!_ Don't leave me out of this! I can _help_ you!"

"Jeri! You don't have Leomon to protect you! What if you got hurt? What then? I _told_ you not to come after me! This isn't going to be some walk in the park! This is _dangerous!"_

Jeri's eyes went wide at that as Renamon looked at her partner in astonishment.

"I _know_ that! What makes you think…?!"

"All right, knock it off!" Impmon cut in before the conversation could get even more heated than it was already. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but the thing is, Jeri's with us _now_ and we'll have to plan around that. It's not like she can just _walk_ home now anyways, so if it bugs you so much, toots, I'll protect her. I owe it to her. Now, how about we figure out how to get Takato back, hah?"

Rika gazed at the tiny Rookie through narrowed eyes before slipping away from Renamon's grasp and storming off into the ocean of azure light, taking no heed of the lack of solid ground beneath her feet. Such was her focus that, true to the bizarre nature of the spatial warp, that she _willed_ it solid, as though she were making her way down the street.

"Typical," Impmon grumbled, folding his arms across his chest before looking at Jeri and Renamon. "Well? Ain't we going after her?"

Renamon turned toward him and for half an instant, Impmon could have sworn that he saw a grateful smile cross her lips before she nodded to him.

"It's not often that you're the one making sense for a change."

"Yeah? Well, it seems like everyone else has lost their marbles, so I guess I got to be the responsible one for… Hey! What do you mean, _for a change?_ I'll have you know that I'm a _perfect_ example of making sense! I'm so full of good sense that it's overflowing!"

Renamon turned away and flicked her tail in his direction before starting off after Rika, leaving Impmon alone with Jeri. Sniffing the air, Impmon turned up at Jeri, who watched Rika's retreating back with a sad gaze.

"So… Care to explain to me what happened while I was out?" he asked. "Seeing as how it looks like it might be a little bit before we touch down on the digital world, it might be a good idea to bring me up to speed so I know what I'm getting into here."

Jeri sighed and started off after their friends.

"It's…a bit more complicated than I thought at first," she began reluctantly. "But…it started when a digimon bio-emerged…"

**###**

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_"Rika?"_

Rika's head rose up slightly as Renamon's thoughts intruded into her own through the link they shared, but she didn't turn to face her. She didn't want to see Jeri, who lay behind her, or see the look on her face.

She knew what to expect if she looked.

_"What is it, Renamon?"_

There came a warmth of concern filtering in through their connection and Rika found herself shuddering in response. She knew what her partner was about, and she berated herself for even asking in the first place, falling back as she did on old, bad habits because of her frustrations and anger over the situation she found herself in.

_"I…messed up back there, didn't I?"_ she asked before her partner could say anything. Renamon drew to a halt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

_"You have a way of making things more difficult than they need to be,"_ Renamon acknowledged with a subtle nod. _"You weren't wrong about what you said, but…Jeri is already well aware of the danger and you behaved like she wasn't. In either case, like Impmon said, it's too late now to turn back the clock. We can't return to the real world the same way we left. For better or worse…"_

_"…Jeri's with us."_ Rika tightened her fists at that. _"We can't let anything bad happen to her. Not again. We need to get this over with as quickly as possible."_

Rika shuddered again, but with an effort, she forced her thoughts to turn to the matter at hand. Getting to the digital world.

_Last time we went there, Jeri picked a direction that was 'down' and we fell to the digital world…_ She paused in midstride and looked about her. Did it matter what direction they picked? _Last time, Renamon said that up or down depended on us…_

"What's with you looking up, toots?" came Impmon's voice from behind as he and Jeri came to a stop behind her.

_"Oh dear…"_ Rika heard Renamon say in her mind as, at Impmon's voice, they felt their minds orient themselves. Gravity latched hold of the four and at once they fell into the azure abyss with a surprised shout.

_"Jeri!"_ Rika cried out as Renamon grabbed hold of her. There was a flash of light, and Beelzemon appeared, taking hold of Jeri and pulling her close to his leather jacket.

"Got her!" he shouted. "Now how about we put a stop to this, huh?"

With a new cry, great, feathery wings burst free from his back and spread outward, slowing his and Jeri's descent. With a flap, the former Demon Lord then flew over to Rika and Renamon and snatched them up. As they flew, the stream of blue rapidly gave away to a glowing grid below, warping and flowing like an ocean.

"There!" Renamon said, and Beelzemon nodded, giving his wings another flap.

"I'm on it!"

Descending toward the entryway to the digital world, they smashed through the analogue barrier, and then, below, lay a vast field of green with gold, angular lines, resembling circuit boards. They plowed through the field, and soared down. Down into the arid desert that lay far below.

**###**

Yamaki stepped into the main control room of Hypnos, gripping his lighter tightly in one hand.

"Report!"

"Calling up data now, sir," came the voice of Riley from her pedestal as she swung around to face him. On the series of screens surrounding them, a group of signals lit up on their sensor grid. Yamaki frowned.

"Our tracers detected a breach between the worlds from ourend of the dimensional divide," said Tally, sitting behind Riley. "The original point of entry appears to have come from Shinjuku park, where previous portals to the digital world had been located."

_Guilmon's old hideout,_ Yamaki thought, squeezing his lighter even tighter. He had thought that portal gone; disappeared after he paved the entry over to keep the Tamers from ever making use of it.

_What is it about that location that draws portals to it?_

"Any idea what slipped through?" Yamaki asked. In her chair, Riley nodded, and after tapping a few commands on her keyboard, called up more detailed information regarding the signals detected. Yamaki's eyes widened as he read the lines of data over.

"I've cross referenced the information sir," Riley said, confirming Yamaki's suspicions. "The data matches that of Rika, Jeri, Impmon and Renamon."

_They're looking for Takato._

He flicked his lighter open. "I need to speak with the Chief of Cabinets…" he began, before a loud _bang_ echoed throughout the room. Startled, he looked up to see the cover to an air vent fall out of the ceiling, followed quickly by the tiny form of a cream-colored digimon with wide ears.

"Mr. Yamaki!" he said, attempting to snap a salute at the man. "Impmon sent me to tell you that operation "Rescue Takato" is underway and I'd like to join them!"

A heavy, flat silence fell over the Hypnos control room for a moment as all eyes were focused on the determined, diminutive digimon, broken only by Yamaki as he massaged his forehead with an agitated groan.


	18. Chapter 18

The word had been out for a while, and now the 'net' finally began to congregate. Their family, slaughtered in the real world by a knight, a previously unknown entity known as a 'Gallantmon' and then, later, by a Sakuyamon. Anger pulsed throughout the network of the gathered web of viral digimon – bulbous spider creatures known as Infermon and floating, betentacled cocoons called Chrysalimon – as they considered the means of their revenge.

And then, another word came in from a rearguard limb of their greater whole before it became suddenly silenced. The knight was in the digital world!

It appeared different from what their records showed, but the scans that their rearguard indicated it was the same creature, or at least similar enough, merely taking an alternate path of evolution. It seemed a trip into the human world wasn't required. The question became, did they have the power? And how long would it be staying?

Presently, according to the first fingers the net stretched out to scout their prey, it just stood there amidst a ruined landscape, broken and torn up by some great power released into it. It appeared to be waiting for something.

Waiting for them? A possibility, though a bit odd. Why not merely hunt them down? Was it something about the terrain? That broken ground that it hoped to lure them into?

_We need power,_ they thought in unison, and they began to make their plans to confront the knight. This time, they would have their revenge, and this time there would be no chance rescues or surprises. They had taken the measure of their enemy. They knew its capabilities.

Like a wave, they proceeded to move, darkness falling across the land of the digital world. They were the net. They were the swarm. They would win, and they would move on, just as they always had, and leave behind the broken corpses of their enemies.

**###**

Takato closed the ghostly fingers of his 'hand,' marveling at the sight of fingers long absent, missing both the tingling of his stump and the tears that brimmed in the corners of his eyes. Instinctively, he reached up with his other hand and took hold of the shadowy limb…or at least tried to. His fingers passed through and the wraith-arm dissolved – briefly – into a mist and a cloud of static before resettling back into its original shape. Tears slipped free now, and Takato looked away from the digignome in front of him as it tilted its head and chirped at him questioningly.

"Takato?" Guilmon asked, tugging at his pant leg.

"Y-Yeah?" the teen stammered out, wiping an arm across his face, not wanting his tears to be commented on in the dim light of the digignome.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm…ah… Y-Yeah!" He flashed his partner a quick grin that wouldn't have fooled neither Rika or Jeri in the least had they been there. "O-Of course I am! I mean… Well, I think I am. I've got my arm back or…something." Lifting the phantom arm, he waved it indicatively before holding it out for Guilmon to inspect. The crimson dinosaur gave it a sniff before attempting to nuzzle it, only to pass through it unexpectedly.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot to mention that." Turning his arm back up toward him, he turned it around, his eyes contemplative. "It's weird though. I've been feeling like there's always been something there since…since losing it, but there was always nothing in the real world. So why is it here in the digital world?"

"I don't know, Takato," Guilmon shrugged, sniffing at it carefully. "I don't even smell it. Maybe the digignome did something to make it exist?"

Twin pair of eyes turned toward the glowing creature in question, who regarded them with a giggling smile.

"Is it true?" Takato asked. "Did you have something to do with this, little guy?"

Drawing back, the digignome simply cartwheeled in the air and laughed, causing Takato to shake his head in dry amusement.

"Yeah, what was I thinking, asking it? It's not like I would have understood what it said anyway."

"At least it has no problem understanding you," Guilmon replied helpfully.

"That's something at least," Takato muttered, scratching at his head. "Man, if only I knew where my digivice was."

At that, the digignome flew over to him and circled around his waist, chirping and chattering eagerly before flying off in the direction of the lake. After getting some distance, it paused in midair and turned to look at him, whereupon it giggled questioningly.

"Do you think it wants us to follow it?" Guilmon asked, exchanging a look with his partner. Takato frowned before looking back around the cave around him. The absence of his digivice bothered him, but if the digignome _did_ understand him, was it possible it wanted to show him where it fell?

_We fell quite a ways. Maybe it's still on the surface or something?_

At that, he felt himself stiffen, the image of the dark Gallantmon waiting up there for him to poke his head up like a whack-a-mole flitting through his mind. The stump of his arm groaned in time with his hesitation, and he rubbed at it gingerly.

"You can find this place again, right boy?"

Guilmon tested the air with his nose, nostrils flaring before nodding.

"Yeah! It's pretty easy!"

"Okay." Steeling himself, Takato took a shaky breath and took a step into the water, willing himself to pretend that it was like taking a warm bath and not at all like the frigid ice temperature he fell into earlier. Behind him, Guilmon watched him for a moment before diving in after him, sending a spray of water over Takato that quickly evaporated into sparkling shards of data.

_Man, I really hope this is a good idea…_ he thought as the water slowly slipped over his waist. Pausing, he looked up a the digignome expectantly.

"Okay," he said. "Where do we go from here?"

With a whirl and a giggle, the digignome dove down into the water and began to swim downward. Exchanging another look, the two partners quickly ducked under and began to follow.

**###**

_"Do you have_ any _control over those Tamers?!"_

Yamaki bore the fury of the Chief Cabinet Secretary with an impassive expression. He could understand the man's frustration, feeling more than a little of it himself when Calumon had informed him of what happened; that Rika, Renamon and Jeri had found a portal to the digital world and were swallowed up by it, followed swiftly by Impmon, having gone after them. That Rika especially went hunting for the portal in the first place without informing anyone dug at him. Not that he was particularly surprised, as she was known for her rather independent, rebellious streak, but this struck him as enormously out of character for her, as she knew that Hypnos would be working on a means to locate Takato and Guilmon, were better equipped to pull it off and that her disappearing into the digital world would only serve to complicate things by giving them more than two individuals to look for. Rika, in spite of her faults, had a good head for situations such as this.

He flicked his lighter closed. Speculations about Rika's motives were meaningless for the time being. All that mattered was cleaning up the problem and getting everyone home.

"Regardless," Yamaki told the Chief Cabinet Secretary, "It is my recommendation that we suspend all activation of the firewall until we have retrieved them."

The Chief Cabinet Secretary seethed visibly at this. Falling back in his chair, he massaged his forehead.

_"The optics will be bad no matter what we do,"_ he sighed, attempting to get a hold of his temper. _"Leave the firewall down and risk more digimon coming through. Put it up, and leave_ three _children behind in a dangerous dimension. Worse yet, one of them is related to the Hata family."_

Yamaki nodded, and briefly he entertained the possibility that this was Rika's reasoning when looking for a portal; that her relation to such a notable, powerful family would serve as a means to get the government to sit up and actively do something that would help her friend. He quickly dismissed the notion however. Her profile suggested no particular interest in her extended family beyond her grandmother, the only Hata member she retained any close connection with.

Drawing his hand away from his face, the Chief Cabinet Secretary adjusted his seating and assumed a more authoritative stance.

_"Very well. I will send out the word and see what I can do, but this_ will _affect things for you down the road, Yamaki. Mark my words. Your Tamers program hinged on your ability to keep things with these children under control and you have clearly shown yourself incapable of doing that with this latest stunt. I'll scrounge up some support to get them home. Whatever I have to do._ Your _job now until this is over is to make sure that the firewall is ready to be implemented once they're back in the real world. Is that understood?"_

"Crystal," Yamaki nodded, flicking his lighter open. With nothing more to be said, the Chief Cabinet Secretary cut communications, leaving Yamaki alone in his office. Turning about in his seat to face the view of the city, he flicked his lighter closed. His brow furrowed in deep thought, contemplating his options.

As he watched, he saw a familiar, dragon-like shape flying across the skyline.

_Cyberdramon… Right on time._

**###**

Ryo and his digimon partner came in for a landing atop Hypnos, and the Legendary Tamer slipped off, his sneakered feet touching down on the rooftop. Breathing a sigh of relief, he patted his partner on his armored shoulder.

"Thanks again, big guy," he nodded to him, and Cyberdramon merely growled in response. Giving the cybernetic dragon a wry smile, he headed toward the stairwell, where an agent was already waiting for him alongside Henry, Terriermon, Kenta and MarineAngemon. At this, Ryo lifted an eyebrow curiously.

"Wasn't expecting this big of a welcoming committee," he said. At this, Terriermon giggled from his spot on Henry's shoulder.

"Really?" he chided. "I would have thought differently, seeing as how you always manage to have a large crowd that shows up every time you go somewhere. I swear, sometimes it's like you're being stalked."

"Well, I _do_ have a number of fan sites dedicated to me," Ryo chuckled before turning to Kenta, who presently looked rather evasive. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Oh… You know. Peachy," Kenta replied, avoiding eye contact, earning him a quizzical look from Ryo. Henry glanced at him before deciding that now was the best time to bring the focus over to more important matters.

"So…yeah, about why we're here…"

"Rika, Jeri and Impmon went after Takato and Guilmon," Ryo nodded. "Yeah, he told me over the phone."

"There's a bit more to it than that though," Henry continued, and this time, he grimaced uncharacteristically, appearing guilty about something. "Yamaki was told that he needs to put up a new firewall to keep digimon from getting to our world. He's under a lot of pressure and…"

"…and Henry had to tell him about how you go in and out of the digital world because it might take too long for Henry's dad to build a new arc." He glanced at his partner. "Sorry, Henry. You were kind of taking a little too long to get around to that."

At this news, Cyberdramon let out an angry snarl and took a menacing step towards Henry, causing the teen to jerk back reflexively in surprise and the agent to reach into his jacket, drawing out a pistol. Seeing this, Ryo threw himself in front of his partner, hands outstretched.

"No! Stop, Cyberdramon! Stop _right now!_ Everyone calm down!"

"He _really_ didn't like hearing that we spilled the beans," Terriermon said, hopping down in front of Henry protectively. Kenta watched the cybernetic dragon tensely, his own partner floating before him with a hard, determined expression on his face.

"But…But why?" Kenta asked, pushing his glasses up. "What's the big deal if you can go back and forth? It'll help us, right? Why is it such a secret?"

Ryo didn't answer right away, and instead, slowly, with great care, reached behind him and removed his digivice. With a flick of his wrist, an electric whip materialized from off the screen and pooled down by his foot.

"Cyberdramon," he repeated. "Calm. _Down."_

The cybernetic dragon flexed his claws, but finally took a step back. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ryo retracted his energy whip and turned to face the others. His eyes fell on the agent, whose pistol was still aimed at Cyberdramon's skull.

"You might want to put that away," he advised. "All you'll do is make him angry again, and if you do, it'll take an _actual_ fight to get him to calm down, and he won't stop until it's all over."

The agent raised an eyebrow again, but after a moment, he lowered his gun and slipped it back inside his holster.

"Mooomentai…" Terriermon breathed a sigh of relief, almost collapsing onto his rear. "Man, just what _is_ it with your partner?"

"That is too long a story, and I'm not interested in talking about it," Ryo replied, pocketing his digivice. "Anyway, the damage is done. Yamaki knows at least that much now, so I take it that he wants me to pull off a rescue operation, right?"

"Something like that," Henry nodded.

"What do you mean, 'Something like that?' What other operation is he suggesting?"

"Terriermon… You know what I mean."

"What…do you mean?" Ryo asked curiously.

Henry sighed and turned toward the stairwell. "It's better if you talk to Yamaki. He has some questions for you."

Ryo started forward, only for Cyberdramon's growl to catch his attention.

"This is a _bad_ idea, Ryo!" he snarled. "You know what happened before. You were _used!"_

Ryo turned toward his partner, gazing at him while behind him, Henry and Kenta all looked on in utter confusion. After a moment, Ryo turned away and started toward the Tamers once more.

"Be good while I'm gone, Cyberdramon," he waved, the Tamers slowly falling into step beside him. Opening the rooftop entrance, they began to descend down the stairs.

"Ryo?" asked Kenta as the door closed behind them. "What was he talking about?"

"It's nothing you guys need to be concerned about," he said. "Just…past history, that's all. Cyberdramon's always been a bit paranoid."

He gave a light chuckle, but to Henry's ears, it sounded forced, leaving him to ponder on Cyberdramon's words.

_Are we using him?_ he couldn't help but wonder upon reaching the first landing. _Am_ I _using him? Ryo… What was going on in your life before we met you?_

**###**

He stood there, arms folded across his grey-armored chest, eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the ruined, broken world around him. His blue cape billowed about him, wind buffeting against his towering body. Shadows fell over him, and the dark knight cracked open his golden eyes. The digimon swarmed around him, a black cloud of insects, a buzzing noise emanating from them. Yet, they made no move to attack him. Not yet.

Casting his gaze about, he soon found the reason why. Behind the swarm, loomed a vast, ominous shape, spider-like as the Infermon, yet far, far greater. With a thunderous step, the creature brushed past the cloud of digimon, revealing a new Armageddemon for all to see. Lowering his arms, the knight turned toward it, golden eyes meeting that of the bestial Mega-level Virus. A lance and shield formed over his hands and the black knight assumed a combat stance.

Armageddemon bellowed in response, sending shockwaves across the landscape, causing the earth to crack and splinter beneath the knight's feet.

In ChaosGallantmon's eyes, a red light shone, and it leapt into the air, electricity sparking at the tip of its lance as power built up in Armageddemon's mouth.


	19. Chapter 19

"Nice to see that this place hasn't changed a bit since our last visit," Rika said sarcastically, the wind causing her ponytail to whip about behind her head. Beelzemon snorted as he took a look around. As per Rika's observation, the uppermost layer of the digital world was a vast wasteland of burning desert and disorganized, decayed human data that had become so decrepit now that it had become as rock itself.

"At least we know what we're getting ourselves into," Jeri chimed in, hoping to put a positive spin on things as she took out Takato's digivice and pressed the large button below its screen. Its holographic compass rose up and swung about wildly for a moment before settling on a definite direction. Glancing over at her, Rika raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought that Takato's digivice might help us find him," Jeri replied. "Or at least help find Guilmon since he told me about how he used his to track him whenever Guilmon was missing."

"Not a bad idea," Beelzemon nodded, impressed by the puppet-loving girl's thinking. "Ai and Mako used to use it on me whenever we played hide and seek. At least until I made it a rule that they couldn't do that anymore."

Rika couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit of pride for her former student, glad to see that her instincts hadn't gone soft since ceasing to be a Tamer.

"Are you sure you have it on the right setting?" she asked however, opting to double check just to be on the safe side. "These things come with two settings for tracking down digimon after all. One for your partner, and the other for wild digimon."

"Mm!" Jeri nodded quickly before pointing in the direction of the horizon. "It looks like they're that way."

Turning in the direction Jeri indicated, Beelzemon narrowed his eyes worriedly. "Doesn't look like good things are happening down there."

Rika followed Beelzemon's gaze, her brow furrowed deeply as she squinted against the harsh light reflected off the desert sand.

"I'm not seeing anything… Renamon?"

The vulpine digimon drew up next to her, her icy-blue eyes piercing through the glare of the land.

"There _is_ something out there," she confirmed. "It looks like smoke, but it's difficult to tell for sure at this distance."

At that, Rika's teeth set themselves tightly against one another, and she gripped her hands into tight fists.

"Then what are we standing around _here_ for? Let's hurry up and rescue that Gogglehead!"

Taking out her digivice, she glanced over at Renamon, who nodded in turn.

"Beelzemon. Keep an eye on Jeri." Her eyes shone as she fixed the Demon Lord digimon a fearsome look. "I mean it. _Don't_ let her out of your sight."

"I'll be sure to keep all three of my eyes on her," he said, giving the fire-haired girl a small salute.

Rika scowled at him before turning away. Raising her digivice into the air, a light burst free from the screen and enveloped both her and Renamon.

_"Biomerge activate!"_ Rika shouted, drawing her digivice towards her chest as bolts of lightning wove themselves between herself and her partner. Her body, becoming fully transformed into data now, merged with Renamon, and the vulpine digimon began to transform, taking on a more humanoid appearance. A black bodysuit formed over her, followed rapidly by golden armor, violet gloves and heeled boots. A fox-shaped mask materialized over her face, and silver hair fell down her back, tied off to appear like two foxtails. A bronze, vajra staff appeared in her hand, and she swung it about, finishing their digivolution.

_"Renamon, biomerge too…Sakuyamon!"_

The light died down, and the shaman priestess launched herself into the air, making a beeline directly toward the patch of smoke that Renamon observed. Lifting Jeri up into his arms, Beelzemon spread his wings out and quickly joined her.

"Hang on tight, Jeri," he said. "Things might get a little bumpy."

As if to suit action to words, there came a distant sound of rumble emanating from the direction of the plume of smoke that now grew thicker.

**###**

Ryo stepped into the meeting room with Henry and Kenta, finding what he called 'the usual suspects,' Janyu, Shibumi and Yamaki, all waiting for them. He nodded to each of them in turn, though he kept his expression neutral, waiting to see what they had in store for him. A thousand thoughts went through his mind, each of them followed by a feeling, betrayal and suspicion standing out as the most prominent. Yamaki's gaze followed him, but the man remained, as ever, unreadable. A hazard of occupation, he supposed. Yamaki worked so deeply in information gathering and monitoring and all the cloak and dagger that went along with it, making sure that no one could ever read him by his facial expressions was certain to be second nature to him.

Still, Ryo knew that not everything could be hidden. His blue eyes glanced down to Yamaki's hand, wherein lay a zippo lighter. His thumb traced over its top, but as of yet, he did nothing with it.

_Stressed like always, but not badly so,_ Ryo thought, looking away before the Head of Hypnos could notice where his attention had gone. _At the very least, he's hoping that this meeting goes well without any hiccups._

Appearing as casual as possible, Ryo drew back a seat and set himself down in it, smiling warmly. Absently, he felt Terriermon's gaze on him, and he resisted the urge to return the stare. The long-eared dog-rabbit digimon no doubt saw through his act, but he didn't want to give him any opportunity to comment on it.

"Hey," he grinned, deciding to cut to the chase and open up the floor for discussion. "So, I hear you guys have a job for me."

"As long as you're up for it," Yamaki said, and now he flicked the lighter open. "Your ability to move between the worlds…"

_"Cyberdramon's_ ability," Ryo corrected. "That's how I went to the digital world in the first place. He created a portal himself and called to me."

Yamaki flicked his lighter closed, looking at him thoughtfully. Coughing, Janyu shifted in his seat and leaned forward.

"Either way, it will be beneficial, especially at a time like this. Currently, we're under a bit of a time crunch."

"The Japanese government wants us to activate a new firewall we've been designing for some months now, as a response to the recent wave of digimon attacks upon our world," Yamaki added, flicking his lighter closed. "We've managed to buy some time to begin searching for Takato and Rika, but constructing a new arc to bring them home is quite another matter altogether. Given the recent incidents', the odds of our being able to use the same means as before is less likely…"

"Which gives Takato, Rika and Jeri even less odds." Ryo leaned forward. "So what questions do you have for me? Like how Cyberdramon does what he does so you can figure out how to keep him from doing it in the future?"

"Kind of being paranoid there, aren't you?" Terriermon asked, earning him a hard look from Henry, however, before he could say anything, Terriermon plowed on. "What? I'm only saying it because straight away he all but asks if Yamaki's going to cut Cyberdramon open and see what makes him tick. We're talking about a rescue mission here!"

All eyes fell on Yamaki just then, who sat in his seat, unmoving and undisturbed by the accusation.

"I am curious about your partner," he acknowledged. "However, it might be a better idea to keep Cyberdramon's abilities between us."

He flicked his lighter open as Ryo blinked, a bit taken aback by such a declaration.

"Whoa… Look at the rule breaker here."

"Terriermon…" Henry sighed, giving his partner a light knock on his forehead.

"I don't say it lightly," Yamaki said, flicking his lighter closed. "However, my experience – _our_ experiences – with the digital world have taught me that it might be a good idea to leave a backdoor just in case we run into problems like this again."

"Then what do you need to talk to me for?" Ryo asked. "Shouldn't you be telling me to bring them home already?"

"Do you know where they are?"

Ryo hesitated, thinking back on the past.

"Cyberdramon _might,"_ he said. "He always seemed to know where I was anyway. I'd have to ask him about it. _If_ he'll answer, that is. He might not want to do this."

"He didn't seem to be that into the whole thing," Terriermon said sullenly, causing Henry to give him another hard look.

"But why?" Kenta asked, adjusting his glasses. "I don't get it. Why would Cyberdramon not want to help when Takato, Rika and Jeri are in danger?"

"I only said he _might_ not want to do this,"Ryo replied. "That doesn't mean he _won't."_

"Let me guess: you'll whip him if he snarls and says no, right?"

Ryo met Terriermon's eyes.

"I'll do what I have to, and so will he."

"Seriously, just what _is_ the deal with the two of you? It's starting to sound really creepy!"

"More than you know," Ryo muttered under his breath, leaning back in his seat before looking over at Yamaki. "I'll talk to Cyberdramon. I don't know if he'll tell me if he knows where Takato, Rika and Jeri are, or if he even knows, but…" He trailed off, searching Yamaki's face for any sign of a response in the making, and sure enough, he got one.

"If Cyberdramon doesn't know, we'll be able to provide him with the means to locate them," he said, flicking his lighter open. "However, it will take time until we've pinpointed their exact location."

"The digital world is a big place," Ryo agreed before getting up. "All right. I'll go talk to Cyberdramon."

**###**

Calumon sat on the edge of the roof, his green eyes wide as he stared up at Cyberdramon. The ultimate level digimon flexed his claws, growling in a low, menacing tone. Undaunted, the diminutive digimon tilted his head to one side, his expression curious, pondering the much larger and dangerous cybernetic dragon.

"You know," Calumon began, "maybe if you spent more time playing instead of fighting, you wouldn't be so angry all the time. Why don't you play? Huh?"

"Ripping my enemies to shreds is how I play," Cyberdramon replied with a snarl.

"Sounds painful. How can that be fun for anyone?"

"You are _annoying_ me…"

"Impmon says that too," Calumon replied. "But that doesn't stop him from playing whenever he gets bored. Of course, he can play kinda rough sometimes…"

_"Nnnrrrhhh…!"_

Hopping up into the air, Calumon did a cartwheel over Cyberdramon, giggling the whole while. "Hey! I know! Let's try playing a game where no one gets hurt! Like tag! Or Checkers! Or Hide and Seek!"

Calumon landed atop Cyberdramon's tail, only for the Ultimate to lash his tail about, sending him hurtling through the air for a few feet before he managed to right himself. Spinning about, he tapped his chin with a tiny arm stump, thinking hard about how to think of a game the warrior-digimon would have the most fun with.

"Or maybe Duck-Duck-Go?"

The door to the roof opened, and out strode Ryo with Henry, Kenta Terriermon, MarineAngemon and Yamaki. His eyes lighting up, Calumon whooped with joy and flew over to the newcomers.

"Yay! Have you come up with a plan to rescue Takato, Jeri and Rika?" he asked fervently. "Because I've been trying to convince Cyberdramon all day here to play, but so far he's not biting."

There was a loud, vicious snarl from the cyborg that caused Calumon to yelp and draw back, butting up against Ryo's chest.

"Uh… I mean, it's kind of _good_ that he's not biting, but that's I didn't mean it literally."

"Don't worry," Ryo chuckled, taking hold of Calumon and passing him off to Henry, who took him with a raised eyebrow. "He's just being a big puppy. Trust me, if he really wanted to bite, he would have done so by now."

"Or maybe he's only holding back because he knows you'll go ballistic on him," Terriermon pointed out, eyeing the Ultimate suspiciously.

"That's never stopped him before actually," the Legendary Tamer said, coming to a stop in front of his partner. Terriermon fixed him with a quizzical look.

"You know… I really can't tell if he's joking or not."

"Cyberdramon," began Ryo, ignoring the others behind him. "Yamaki would like to know if you can tell where the others are in the digital world."

Cyberdramon stood there for a long moment before turning his head skyward, his unseeing gaze seeming to penetrate the vast expanse of blue that separated their world from the star-filled blackness that lay beyond, and the digital world that lay within it.

"I can sense them," he said at last, to which Kenta and Henry both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can you tell _precisely_ where they are?" asked Yamaki, flicking his lighter closed.

Turning back, Cyberdramon growled angrily. Ryo reached behind him and withdrew his digivice.

"Answer him, Cyberdramon."

"Yes. Yes, I can."

"All right," Ryo nodded. "Then we're going to the digital world now and we're bringing them all back."

Cyberdramon seethed, flexing his claws once more. Seeing this, Ryo narrowed his eyes and the screen on his digivice lit up.

"You _will_ obey me, Cyberdramon," the Legendary Tamer commanded, to which Cyberdramon growled, but he knelt subserviently.

"I don't like this," he said

"It won't be the first time or the last," Ryo replied, the screen to his digivice winking off. Pocketing it, he looked at the others behind him. "All aboard who wants to come."

At this, Cyberdramon surged to his feet, this time making his displeasure known by taking a menacing step forward.

_"NO!"_

Ryo's whip lashed out and snapped around Cyberdramon's wrist. Electricity surged along its length, and Cyberdramon ground to a halt.

"We _are_ going together, Cyberdramon!" Ryo shouted. "We don't know what we're getting into, and we're going to need all the help we can get! I know how you feel, but we're doing this whether you like it or not! Is that _understood?!"_

Cyberdramon drew his whip-bound arm up, appearing at first as though he were going to make a fight of it, but upon locking eyes with Ryo, the cybernetic dragon hesitated…and then relaxed.

"Very well," he growled, admitting his defeat. Retracting his lash, Ryo made it vanish and he pocketed his digivice.

"All right. Let's try this again. Kenta? I'm going to need MarineAngemon to form a bubble around us so that we can all go together." He paused and turned toward the dark-haired teen. "You _do_ want to tag along, right?"

Kenta's head bobbed up and down furiously at that, and he glanced at his partner. "Ready to go pooh, buddy?"

The tiny fairy digimon giggled in response, while next to him, Calumon did the same.

"That sounds like a 'yes' if I ever heard one!"

**###**

Takato and Guilmon made their way through the darkness of the underground pool, following the glow of the digignome as it guided them down a rocky cavern. Swimming, Takato found to be awkward and tiring, but he pushed himself to ignore it and instead focus on keeping track of the digignome and staying with it.

_It's so creepy down here,_ he thought, taking hold of a piece of rocky wall and using it to propel himself forward. _Like something out of a horror movie._

"Are you okay, Takato?" he heard Guilmon ask behind him, and looking over his shoulder, the teen nodded.

"Yeah," he bubbled back in return, and not for the first time did he feel his lungs hiccup, his brain attempting to betray him by making him believe that he was inhaling water. Coughing, he patted his chest before resuming his course, staying focused on the ghostly lamp-like light that swam on ahead of him, ignoring the shadows it cast all about them.

Coming to a tunnel that went up, the digignome disappeared up it, and Takato and Guilmon, crouching down briefly, propelled themselves upward after it by kicking off from the watery floor. His crimson eyes widened with delight as he saw up ahead a light at the end of the tunnel, and he kicked all the harder, pushing himself to get to it all the faster. The light drew nearer until, finally, they all broke through the surface, Takato and Guilmon both gasping for air, drawing it in with sweet relief.

"Yay!" Guilmon cried happily, splashing Takato playfully with his tail. "We're out!"

Takato nodded with a grin, but his expression soon sobered. "We're out from there, but we're not out of this just yet," he said, taking a gander at their surroundings. They appeared to be in a crater of some sort with smooth walls. His remaining hand tightened. He would have had a difficult time trying to scale that with just that by itself and would likely have to rely on Guilmon to lug him along, but with walls that looked _that_ smooth, reflecting the light from the digital representation of the earth…

"Hey Mr. Digignome?" Guilmon called out, paddling over in its direction. "Can you maybe help us climb out of here? I don't think Takatomon can climb out and… Huh?" Blinking, the crimson-scaled digimon paused in mid-paddle as the digignome giggled and flew away, rapidly vanishing from view. He looked over at Takato helplessly, at a loss for why their companion had just abandoned them. "Did… Did we do something wrong?"

"I…don't know, boy," Takato shook his head. Digignomes, he remembered, were an odd bunch and couldn't reliably be depended on to help out at every opportunity. Gathering himself, he swam awkwardly over to Guilmon. "We'll just have to figure this one out for ourselves. Man, it's too bad I lost my digivice, otherwise this would be a synch."

"Maybe you could just…I don't know, 'wish-digi-modify' me?" Guilmon suggested. "We biomerged before without a digivice, and like you're always saying, we can do anything, so why not?"

"Huh… You may have a point there." Splashing about, Takato reached into his pocket and drew out his cards, not in the least bit wet for the dipping it took as, much like his hair, it didn't have a concept of 'wetness' in this world the way his mind did.

"Help me out with this," Takato said. "If I can find the Aero Wing card or Airdramon, maybe we can fly our way out or something."

A winged shadow flew over them just then, and suddenly a shout.

_"Here! He's here!"_

_Is that…Jeri?!_

The shadow swung back around, revealing Beelzemon carrying the brown-haired girl in his arms, and they were soon joined by Sakuyamon. Takato's mouth fell open in utter amazement at the sight.

"Wha… What are you guys doing here?" he stammered out, blinking blearily, unable to believe what he was seeing.

_"Do you even_ have _to ask?"_ Sakuyamon asked in Rika's voice as she flew down toward him. Reaching down, she dipped her gloved hands into the water and wrapped them about her friends, hoisting them up into her arms. _"We're here to rescue you."_

"Oh, yeah, I mean, that part does seem kind of obvious," Takato chuckled as she flew them up to land and set them down. "But…how? I mean, the only way to get here is with a portal and…" He paused, a thought occurring to him. "The hideout again?"

_"Yeah,"_ Sakuyamon said again in Rika's voice, reaching out and brushing a lock of hair out of Takato's eyes before tracing her fingers down his cheek, her lips pressed into one thin line. _"How are you holding up? The last time we saw you, you were getting dragged away by a version of Gallantmon that seemed to want you…you…"_

The shaman priestess trailed off, seeming to find herself unable to say the word that was on the tip of her tongue. After a moment, Sakuyamon abruptly pulled Takato into a tight hug, a shuddering breath escaping her lips.

_"Never mind. Let's just find a way to get you home. Your parents are freaking out about you, you know."_

Jeri watched the scene play out before her as Beelzemon lowered her to the ground, a small, yet simultaneously sad smile on her lips. Upon touching down, Jeri thanked the Demon Lord quietly before making her way over to the pair, wrapping her arms about the two of them, causing both of her friends to stiffen up in surprise before relaxing again.

"I'm so glad that you're all right, Takato," the puppet-loving girl whispered, threading a hand through the boy's hair. She felt heat flood Takato's face at her touch, and he shifted within her grasp.

"Jeri… Why are you…?"

_"She invited herself,"_ Rika replied, disentangling Sakuyamon's form from the hug and rising to her feet. _"She wouldn't take no for an answer either."_ There was a brief pause before the shaman priestess continued, this time in Renamon's voice. _"She has a lion's heart that not even a queen can ignore."_

Jeri giggled at that as she drew back, though she couldn't say that she felt it all that much. "So what's next?" she asked, feeling a tense mood falling on the group.

As if in response, the earth shuddered beneath their feet, and a black light erupted from off in the distance, lightning crackling along its edges.

"I'm going to take getting away from whatever _that_ is, for starters," Beelzemon said, a statement that was readily agreed upon without argument.


	20. Chapter 20

Data blew away as ChaosGallantmon, eyes blazing a deep, murderous red, removed his lance, _Balmung_ from another Infermon, signaling its death. Yet he made no move to draw its data into his body, blatantly ignoring the 'law' of wild digimon. The swarm seethed at this, hating the black knight still all the more for treating the data of their family like this; casting it off as though it were refuse unworthy of joining the warrior's data. Still, his loss was their gain as they drew upon the data themselves, fusing with it and gaining power before unleashing it at the knight.

ChaosGallantmon deftly dodged the attacks, moving with surprising speed and agility that belied the armor he bore. Amidst the swarm, Armageddemon snarled, becoming increasingly frustrated with the swarm's opponent. From the very start of the battle, ChaosGallantmon waded into them without fear, slaughtering Infermon and Chrysalimon with impunity, and Armageddemon found itself in a frustrating conundrum. Its own destructive power had become its own weakness, for while the dark warrior was engaging its family in battle, it could not directly involve itself without killing them as well.

A group of Chrystalimon screamed in agony as a bolt of lightning shore through them, causing them to break apart into another cloud of data that was quickly drawn on by their compatriots, and as the data began to be drawn towards others, ChaosGallantmon was on them immediately. His lance was everywhere, slaughtering with ease. The swarm attempted to fall back, to give room for Armageddemon to step in, but the knight stayed on them. Swinging both lance and shield about, he shot out a torrent of energy blasts, carving a swath through his adversaries until, finally, with a thunderous roar, Armaeggedemon launched a fireball. Seeing this, the black warrior leapt into the air, and the insectoid's attack slammed home into its family, causing many to evaporate into still more clouds of data.

The knight wasn't done however. Not giving the dark Mega a chance to rage at its act, he flipped through the air, landing atop Armageddemon's head, where he slammed the point of his lance down upon, skewering the skull between the eyes. Lightning crackled along the length of the lance before finally exploding, sending data flying everywhere. Armageddemon screamed, lurching to the side. Its spindly legs stomped about, crushing still more of its family. ChaosGallantmon leapt away, seeing more stable ground to stand upon, and plowed through more of the swarm, neatly carving a path with both shield and lance as he did so until finally grinding to a halt, sparks flashing in the air as its armor ground against the stone of the digital world. Whirling about, the dark warrior raised its lance and shield in a guard position, taking stock of the situation.

Scant minutes had passed since the battle began, and already a full third of the swarm had been obliterated. Seeing the uselessness of its current situation, the Infermon and Chrysalimon began to withdraw, hoping to regroup and come up with a new plan of attack. ChaosGallantmon smirked beneath his helm before jerking suddenly to attention. Craning his head, his eyes sought the horizon before narrowing. Before he could do anything further, a great fireball slammed home into him, knocking him to the ground. Flames leapt across his cape, and he blinked, whirling about to find Armageddemon storming toward him, a gaping hole in its face from which smoke arose and a great light burned within. Righting his footing in spite of the shaking earth, ChaosGallantmon lifted his lance skyward, and met the gaze of the oncoming, raging spider. The flames burning along his cape leapt up, becoming first blue, and then black before taking shape and arching upward, separating into ten shapes that quickly took form. Great, angelic wings then burst free from the fire, and his armor shifted from greys and blacks to deep blues and silver, becoming thicker and more pointed along its edges. Lance and shield vanished, replaced instead by a double-bladed spear and a sword.

Power swirled about the chaos knight as he hefted his spear and hurled it at Armageddemon.

_"Black Light,"_ he intoned for the first time, and the blade slammed home into Armageddemon's face, piercing deep before exploding, sending out waves of shadow and void-like darkness across the landscape, and whomever it touched, shattered into innumerable shards of shining light before vanishing, devoured by ChaosGallantmon's attack. Of all of the swarm, Armageddemon held on the longest, writhing in pain as its body broke apart, and with its last gasp, fired a final ball of flame in the direction of the dark knight. Slashing his sword in a wide arc, he split the fireball in two, and the halves flew past him before detonating in the hills.

So it was that only smoke remained, and ChaosGallantmon relinquished his Mode Change, returning to his previous self, golden eyes gleaming as the light from the Earth above trickled down through the black, choking cloud. Emerging from it, shield and lance in hand, he surveyed the landscape before focusing on a particular direction and then he dashed off, blue cape billowing out from his back, leaving the wreckage of the swarm far, far behind.

**###**

"Well ladies and gentlemon, welcome to the digital world," Ryo joked as they flew through the blue void that lay between the worlds. "Or at least, its doorstep anyway." Glancing from his spot on Cyberdramon's shoulder over at MarineAngemon's bubble, containing Henry, Kenta, MarineAngemon, Terriermon and Calumon. "How're you guys holding up?"

"Oh, you know. Same as the last couple of times we went through a spatial warp," replied Terriermon sarcastically. "We're not in Kansas anymore and all that. I'm sure you know all about how that is."

"Terriermon…" sighed Henry, to which Ryo gave a light chuckle.

"Don't worry about it, Henry," the Legendary Tamer interceded quickly with a companionable grin. "I guess I just wanted to make sure. I'm more used to this than you guys are, and it can be a little disorienting sometimes."

"You can say that again," Kenta moaned, earning him a concerned look from MarineAngemon. Kenta gave his partner a small smile. "Don't worry, buddy. I just…don't do very good with crossing dimensions."

Floating over to him, MarineAngemon blew a pink heart at the boy, which popped upon contact, sending little pink shards of light washing over him, suffusing into his body. The teen relaxed almost immediately, and shook himself.

"Whew! Thanks, MarineAngemon. I really needed that."

As MarineAngemon snuggled up to his partner, Terriermon glanced over at Henry, smirking. "Now why can't he do that with you? You'd probably be a lot less uptight then."

"Probably because you'd negate the effects a second later," Henry returned, causing Terriermon's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Wow! Look at that! You actually _can_ dish it out! I knew you had it in you."

"Huh?" Calumon asked, floating down atop Terriermon's head and coming to rest there, much to the long-eared rabbit dog's annoyance. "Why does he have dishes inside of him? Doesn't that hurt?"

"You're taking it too literally, Calumon."

"But I don't read…"

Terriermon's eyebrow twitched at that, but before he could say or do anything more, Henry decided to turn his attention over to Ryo and his partner.

"Hey, Cyberdramon. If you don't mind my asking, how is it that you can sense where Takato and the others are?"

Cyberdramon growled, but a touch from Ryo on his shoulder, quickly silenced him.

"It's all right, buddy. It doesn't hurt to answer questions all the time."

"That…sounds kind of ominous," Terriermon said, cocking an eyebrow at that response.

"Our… _comrades_ leave impressions in the digital world," Cyberdramon answered reluctantly. "Especially the male Tamer and his hazard digimon. They leave a _deep_ impression. One that draws others to it. It is very easy to sense."

"What does that mean? Takato and Guilmon? Are you saying that they're like some kind of singularity in the digital world?"

"Makes sense now that you mention it," Terriermon added. "All those times we kept getting lost, we would usually end up finding each other. I always thought it was a little weird how we were able to do that in a place as big as the digital world."

Adjusting his glasses, Kenta turned toward Cyberdramon questioningly. "So…like, what? You can 'smell' these impressions or something?"

"Or something," the cyborg dragon replied, and with a flap of his wings, sped up his pace. Planting his hands on his hips, Terriermon huffed.

"Henry, I think that qualifies as rude."

"And you're one to judge?" Henry asked while MarineAngemon pumped his tiny wings all the harder so that their bubble could keep up with the duo. "Anyway, this is something clearly personal to them. So why don't we not take it personal?"

"I wouldn't if ol' claws and fangs there didn't look like he wanted to eat me," Terriermon replied. "Seriously. You've seen him eyeing me up."

"Shouldn't you be glad that he thinks you'd make a good fight?" Kenta asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I mean, he's always looking for one." Terriermon blinked at that, seemingly taken aback by Kenta's observation. Finally, shrugging, the long-eared rabbit digimon folded his arms together and puffed out his chest.

"About time someone noticed," he said with pride.

"Yeah… Right," Henry chuckled, looking ahead. "I wonder how much further we've got to go. This place is so weird. Last time it didn't take us this long to get to the digital world. Maybe that's also perception, like direction is?"

"So…does that mean if we say we're there, then we will be?" Kenta asked, pointing ahead. As if his finger had been a signal, gravity suddenly seized hold of the bubble, and in the next instant they were in freefall, quickly zooming past Ryo and Cyberdramon and smashing into the first of the cybernetic circuits that hung in the sky over the digital world before plummeting down to the surface of the digital world below. Ryo's mouth fell open in shock, and he urged his partner to hurry on after them.

**###**

_"Wakey, wakey, Henry…"_

Slowly, Henry lifted his eyes open and found Terriermon and Ryo seated on either side of him, and with a groan he sat himself up.

"What happened?" he asked, blinking blearily. Chuckling, Ryo tossed a thumb over at Kenta, who currently sat on a rock a short way off with MarineAngemon by his side, his expression downcast and glum. Henry looked at him in confusion.

"Basically, Kenta had the right of it," Terriermon supplied. "Just…not in a good way, I guess. By which I mean falling like meteors instead of the graceful, heroic landing like I figure Ryo was planning on."

"About the size of it," Ryo nodded. "Cyberdramon was leading the way, but navigating that dimensional warp is tricky if you're looking for someone or something specific, so it ends up taking a little longer than if you just 'wished' yourself to the digital world. Now that we're here, we can't use that effect as easily, so we're going to have to hope that the others' 'impression' in the digital world is going to be enough to help us bump into them."

"Or we could look for wherever there happens to be trouble," Terriermon said. "I mean, between Takato and Rika, that shouldn't be too hard, right?"

_If Takato's even still alive,_ Henry thought darkly, climbing to his feet, but he didn't share this sentiment with the others. Ryo, he was sure had already thought of it, and Terriermon would shoot it down at the first opportunity rather than give up on their friend this early in the game. He looked over at Kenta worriedly.

"How's he doing?"

"He thinks it's all his fault," Terriermon said. "And he won't blame it on Ryo because he's Ryo."

"I told him that it's okay," Ryo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I really should have briefed you guys better on how your thoughts influence that area of space between the two worlds. It's just so unpredictable."

"Forget about it," Henry said, shaking his head as he made his way over to Kenta. Seeing him approach from out of the corner of his eye, Kenta blanched and shot up to his feet.

"Henry! I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

"Kenta," Henry interrupted, coming to a stop in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just relax, okay? I get that this is a…complication, but we're in the digital world now. We made it, so all that's left for us now is to find our friends and get them home."

"If they're still alive when we find them," Kenta said, his eyes evasive. "Who knows how they'll be when we find them because of me." His face scrunched up, and self-loathing flooded his eyes. "Just like always. Takato was hurt because I was out of position. He got kidnapped because I didn't make it to the fight in time. And now we're in the wrong place because I…"

_"Puh!"_

Suddenly MarineAngemon zipped in front of him, eyes blazing with anger and chest puffed out. Immediately he began to yell out a series of _Pihs_ and _Puhs_ at his partner, jabbing his chest with a tiny wing that caused Kenta to flinch with each impact. All eyes watched the scene play out in front of them, most of which were wide and amazed, and after a while, MarineAngemon fell silent, tears brimming in his big eyes, seemingly done with his rant. Kenta shrank back a little, but his darkness was not yet ready to surrender its hold over him.

"But…" he began, only for MarineAngemon to _Puh_ at him again angrily, tears spilling down his tiny, pink cheeks.

"You tell him, little guy," Terriermon cheered under his breath.

"He's sure telling him a lot," Calumon added as MarineAngemon let out a few more _Pihs_ and _Puhs._ "Good thing he's a mon of few words."

Silence fell between the two partners, and finally Kenta took off his glasses and ran an arm over his eyes.

"Y-Yeah," he stammered out. "You're right. Sorry, buddy."

"All right," Ryo said, approaching now and clapping Kenta on the back. "Now that we have things settled, how about we get started on looking?"

"W-Where're we going though? Do we have an idea?"

"I'm sure all we have to do is just pick a direction and start walking," said Terriermon. "We're bound to bump into them eventually."

Lifting his head, Cyberdramon bared his teeth and snarled before starting off. "This way," he growled.

"Ooor we could just follow Ryo's 'big ol' puppy' there and start walking," Terriermon said. "That sounds about as good as our usual plan of wandering aimlessly and hope to trip over our friends."

Henry chuckled and picked the long-eared digimon up into his arms. "Momentai," he said, falling in behind Cyberdramon.

_I just hope things aren't as bad as I'm afraid it is…_

**###**

Wind blew over Takato's hair as he and Sakuyamon flew over Beelzemon, the shaman keeping a tight grip on him as they kept pace with their friends. Below, the Mega level Demon Lord now drove _Behemoth_ across the sandy desert _,_ his motorcycle that his non-wing mode utilized for transportation, with Jeri and Guilmon seated behind him and they moved at all speed to put the dark light behind them. Takato's eyes fell on Jeri and he bit his lower lip, worry steadily growing stronger in his heart.

He hadn't expected his friends – or at least some of them – to find him so quickly and he _certainly_ hadn't expected Jeri to be among them. Jeri's presence left him on edge. Of all of them, she was the most vulnerable, and with Guilmon's dark counterpart still out there…

_It'll be okay,_ he told himself fervently, though a part of him didn't quite feel it. The dark version of Gallantmon couldn't be that far behind, and it had already proven itself strong enough to take down Sakuyamon, and without his ability to biomerge, he and Guilmon would be of limited help, even with Beelzemon assisting them.

_Who knows what that other Guilmon is capable of or willing to do?_ He looked out past Sakuyamon's shoulder guard in the direction of the plume of black smoke that continued to rise into the air. _Just…what_ is _he? What does he want? I've never seen him before in my life, and for some reason he wants to start a fight with me? Would he go after Jeri and the others once he finishes up with me?_

As he thought this however, another thought came to mind almost immediately.

_Will he leave them alone once he finishes up with me?_

The possibility hung in his mind just then, seeming to become… _concrete_ for a moment before he brushed it off. He doubted it to be the case. Experience taught him that wild digimon like the dark Gallantmon didn't just stop with one victim, but kept going, building as high a body count as they could until they ran out of enemies and potential victims, after which they moved on until they found new opponents to slaughter. New people and digimon to terrorize.

_Besides,_ he thought, feeling Sakuyamon tighten her grip about his waist as she pushed her speed to its limit. _I don't think Rika would allow me to sacrifice myself like that._

Suddenly a lightning bolt crashed down in front of them, and Beelzemon screeched to a halt, his bike coming dangerously close to losing his two passengers as the force of the explosion swept over the group. Sakuyamon held fast to Takato, shielding the two of them with a barrier as the dust began to settle.

"What…was _that?"_ the shaman digimon shouted angrily. In response, another bolt of lightning slammed into her barrier, causing her to fall back from the sheer force of the blow, her barrier collapsing, and in the next instant, ChaosGallantmon leapt free from the smoke, lance aiming directly at Takato, electricity sparking at its tip.

_"Demon's Disaster!"_ the dark knight intoned, slamming its lance home with ferocious force.


	21. Chapter 21

Sakuyamon grabbed hold of Takato and rolled to the side, narrowly evading ChaosGallantmon's attack as his lance speared into the earth in a blast of lightning. The dark knight didn't get an opportunity to further chase after them however, as a number of bullets slammed home into the back of his head courtesy of Beelzemon's _Double Impact_ attack. Golden eyes swung up, searching for its new quarry before one of the shells found its mark, causing the Mega to stagger with a cry of pain, black fluid spewing from an eye. Sakuyamon set her teeth on edge at the sound as she climbed to her feet, still holding Takato close to her.

 _"Renamon…"_ Rika began from within her blue data-sphere.

 _"Yes,"_ she heard her partner's voice speak from the darkness surrounding her. _"It sounds just like Takato, doesn't it?"_

Righting itself, ChaosGallantmon drew its shield up, deflecting the next hailstorm of bullets before storming forward, causing Beelzmeon to fall back, continuing to rain blast after blast from his Berenjena shotguns, his bike kicking up a cloud of dirt as he spun about. The knight moved with surprising quickness, coming at him like a meteor.

"We've got to help them!" Takato exclaimed, trying to disentangle himself from Sakuyamon, only for the shaman priestess to tighten her grip about him. She looked down at the boy, grimacing at the shadow arm that hung off his stump, moving, yet offering no solidity. There were so many questions there, and it seemed that the other Gallantmon was only adding to that.

 _"I'll_ help them," Sakuyamon said firmly, quickly scanning about for some place she could deposit the boy so he wouldn't be in the way or get into trouble. Unfortunately, there weren't many places nearby that offered them many options.

 _Nothing but open space for miles,_ the two partners thought as one. _Not good._

"Don't keep me out of this, Sakuyamon," Takato said, a note of anger making itself known in his voice as he again attempted to disengage. "Beelzemon's still got the others with him! He still has _Jeri!_ If he…"

 _"Takato, I'm trying to_ think!" Sakuyamon now snapped in Rika's voice, her patience already stretched to the breaking point. This was bad. As Takato had noted, Jeri and Guilmon were still riding behind Beelzemon on his bike, and now had ChaosGallantmon barreling after them, moving with shocking swiftness that, had it not been for the Demon Lord's expertise with his motorcycle, _Behemoth,_ they all would have been eating dirt.

"Well, I'm _done_ thinking!" Takato said, managing to slip free. Dropping down, he shot off in the direction of Beelzemon, calling out Guilmon's name.

 _"Takato!"_ Sakuyamon shouted, grabbing hold of him once more and yanking him backward just as ChaosGallantmon's eyes turned toward them, his remaining golden eye turning red.

**###**

Beelzemon spun about once more, bringing his shotguns to bear, only to pause as he saw the dark knight tear away in the opposite direction. "Aw nuts," he cursed under his breath, seeing ChaosGallantmon was going for Takato and Sakuyamon. "Quick, while we got a second," he quickly turned to Jeri and Guilmon, still seated behind him. "I need you to get off! Guilmon, keep Jeri out of trouble for me!"

"Be careful, Beelzemon!" Jeri said, as the dinosaur quickly hopped off, taking her along with him. Beelzemon responded by revving up his engine and shooting off, holstering his shotguns as he did so. He couldn't aim now, not with the others in the way. This whole battle was very far from ideal in so many ways, even by the un-ideal standards of combat. The speed and ferocity with which this dark Gallantmon had attacked them left little room to do anything but react to keep others from getting killed straight away, risking the wellbeing of even those who needed to be safe and away from danger.

And now, he couldn't even distract the dark knight as it charged down on his friends for fear of hurting them too.

 _Feels almost deliberate,_ he thought, pushing his bike as fast as it could go to close the distance. _Man, this is just nuts! What is with this guy?!_

Sakuyamon shot up into the air with Takato in her arms, sending four fiery fox spirits firing off after ChaosGallantmon. They struck and clawed at his armor, sending a shower of sparks flying every which way, but the black knight took no notice of them, instead taking aim at the pair with his lance. Electricity gathered at the tip, preparing to fire.

 _Not this time…_ Beelzemon thought as he crashed headlong into the knight. Flipping off his bike at the last second, he rapidly drew out both shotguns and began to pour on another salvo of shells, taking aim at his joints and face – anywhere he could find a weak point. ChaosGallantmon's shield and lance flew up defensively, deflecting the bullets before they could reach his remaining eye. Power gathered around the center of his shield as Beelzemon came to a landing. Peering over the edge, he charged forth again, and Beelzemon rolled to the side, seeing the storm of energy swelling in front of the knight. ChaosGallantmon's lance swept out and he spun about, slamming it into the Demon Lord's hand, knocking a shotgun from his grasp and breaking the digital bones within. Cursing, Beelzemon brought his other shotgun to bear just as the warrior's shield thrust toward him.

 _"Double Impact!"_ Beelzemon shouted.

 _"Judecca Prison!"_ ChaosGallantmon roared in return.

 _Takato?!_ Beelzemon's three eyes widened at the voice as their two attacks struck one another and detonated, flinging them both away. Beelzemon rolled on the ground, quickly finding his feet. His mind whirled about, trying to make sense of what he had heard.

_Did I really hear that right? Was that…?_

ChaosGallantmon roared forth from the smoke, lance spearing forth. Beelzemon moved to dodge, and the knight's weapon just barely glanced along his hip. The shield followed in short order though, bashing into his face and sending a spray of digital blood flying through the air as his nose shattered. The Demon Lord collapsed in a heap, helpless before the other Viral Mega as he towered over him, lance preparing its final move that would end his life.

_"Amethyst Mandala!"_

A band of violet energy fell upon ChaosGallantmon just then and shrank about him, pinning his arms to his side. Sakuyamon was suddenly there, smashing her heeled boot into his face and sending him crashing to the side. Flipping backward, she landed next to Beelzemon.

"Are you all right?" she asked, to which Beelzemon groaned. Sitting up, he shook his head.

"Must've been clubbed pretty hard by that guy's little stick," he muttered. "I could have sworn that he sounded just like…"

"Takato," Sakuyamon nodded, offering him a hand. "Yes. He does."

Beelzemon paused before accepting the shaman's grasp. "Great. What'd he do? Rescan Guilmon or something?"

"Doesn't matter," Sakuyamon replied fiercely as she helped him to his feet. Tightening her grip on her staff, she twirled it about, falling into a fighting stance. "This guy's looking to hurt Takato. That tells me all I need to know about what to do with him."

Beelzemon barked a harsh laugh, wings ripping free from his back and a cannon forming over his arm as he initiated his transformation into his Blast Mode once more.

"Jeez toots. Remind me to be nicer to your boyfriend when we get back home."

 _"Would you shut u…!"_ Sakuyamon began in Rika's voice, only to stop as ChaosGallantmon rose up to his feet, and with a tremendous, animalistic howl, shattered the Mandala bands that chained him. His gaze dropped down on them, his remaining crimson eye now burning with murder.

**###**

_"Takatooo!"_

Guilmon's call broke across the roar of combat as Sakuyamon flew off to help Beelzemon, having deposited Takato rather unceremoniously with Jeri, with little more than an order for him to stay put. Turning, the teen saw Jeri and Guilmon hurrying toward him and he hesitated, torn between wanting to go after Sakuyamon and help in whatever way he could and staying behind to protect Jeri. Without the ability to biomerge, there wasn't a great deal that he could do, especially since the other Gallantmon had taken WarGrowlmon apart rather easily back in the real world.

Yet, he also knew that he couldn't just stand there and do _nothing._

"Takato!" Jeri gasped as she and the crimson dinosaur came to a stop in front of him. "Are you…?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded, though he looked rather ashamed at the admission as he glanced back in the direction of the battle, his hands, one shadow and the other flesh and blood, drawn into tight fists. He shook slightly, helplessness washing over him like a tidal wave. Again, he had to stand aside while others fought for him.

Jeri could see the conflict in his eyes, knowing how he felt. He didn't want to leave her, but simultaneously he didn't want to abandon the battle – abandon those who needed help fighting such a powerful opponent.

After all, who better to help defeat the corrupted version of Gallantmon than the one who formed half of the Royal Knight?

"What are we going to do, Takato?" Guilmon asked, looking back and forth between his partner and the ongoing struggle. Sakuyamon had just narrowly saved Beelzemon from death and now were battling against the dark knight once more, taking to the air, taking advantage of ChaosGallantmon's weakness and peppering him with attacks from a distance. A good strategy, but how well it would work in the long run, neither Takato or Jeri could be certain, knowing that if it were anything like the normal Gallantmon, he would have freakishly strong durability to match his destructive power. Not that either Sakuyamon or Beelzemon weren't powerful in their own right, but barring Sakuyamon's magic barriers, they both were on the light side defensively, and as a Data type, Sakuyamon's offensive abilities were at a disadvantage. Even Beelzemon, who was better at brawling, lost out in a war of attrition as his weapons ultimately lacked effective means of penetrating the knight's armor.

"Guilmon…" Takato began, drawing out his digivice. "You'll have to go out there. I…" He paused and looked at his partner, his expression torn.

 _He wants to fight with him,_ Jeri thought. _He doesn't want to make him do anything on his own. But he can't biomerge with Guilmon, and Guilmon…_ She looked over at the battle, watching briefly as ChaosGallantmon fired blasts of dark lightning at Beelzemon, the winged Demon Lord narrowly dodging them as he returned fire from his arm canon.

"Got it, Takato!" Guilmon nodded before turning and racing toward the battle. Takato drew out his digivice – returned to him by Jeri when they met again – and looked at Jeri meaningfully. Understanding his expression, she took back the digivice while he dug into his pocket, drawing out a card that began to glow with the blue light of Matrix Digivolution.

"Here goes nothing," he said under his breath as Jeri held out the digivice in her hands and the boy slashed the card through its slot.

**M-A-T-R-I-X D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N**

The shell of data formed about Guilmon as he ran, stripping him down once more to his analogue state and rebuilding him. He grew to tremendous size, forming cybernetic gauntlets over his arms with great pendulum shaped-blades attached to them. Thick, sloped armor emblazoned with a hazard sign materialized over his chest and his jaw became metal – a single blade ran the length of his mouth.

_"Guilmon, Matrix Digivolve too…WarGrowlmon!"_

The shell shattered and WarGrowlmon stormed forward, twin vernier thrusters flipping up and firing to provide him with extra speed. Arm blades glowing, he took aim and swung them at ChaosGallantmon as he came into range, only for the Mega to leap out of the way and slam his lance along the cyborg digimon's skull.

"What is that big dump truck thinking?!" Beelzemon shouted, pausing in his next shot so as to keep from hurting his ally.

"WarGrowlmon!" shouted Sakuyamon with concern. "Keep back! He's too powerful for you to take head on!"

Whether WarGrowlmon heard her or not no longer mattered however, as ChaosGallantmon quickly took to the offense, spearing the Ultimate's leg and slamming his shield into his kneecap, causing WarGrowlmon to fall with an angry roar. However, ChaosGallantmon's more melee styled strike offered an advantage, as the Ultimate, fueled now by a hastily slashed Speed Upgrade card, caught hold of the Ultimate and then flung himself over, bringing his mass crushing down and pinning his adversary to the ground. ChaosGallantmon's rabid eye widened in shock, unable to bring his weapons to bear. Seeing his chance, WarGrowlmon's canons began to power up, aiming at ChaosGallantmon's head. The Ultimate was quickly joined by Sakuyamon and Beelzemon coming up behind him, their own attacks powering up, and as one…they fired.

There was an explosion of blue light just then, and with it accompanied by ChaosGallantmon howling in rage. Black wings swept outward and a shining blade sheared through WarGrowlmon's hand, sending him rearing backward as the data of his Ultimate form bled away, shrinking him back down to his Rookie form to prevent the injury from becoming far worse. Sakuyamon fell back, her fox mask blowing off along with a shoulder guard, her staff evaporating into innumerable shards of data as she struck the ground hard. Her silver hair spilled out over her vision, blinding her to the image of Beelzemon as his wings were abruptly cut from him by a pair of azure blades. She didn't need to see though to know that he was in serious trouble. His screams of agony told her more than enough about how bad things were going now. Climbing to her feet, she shook her head, trying to clear it from the pain that fogged her thinking. Her silver hair parted, and she saw ChaosGallantmon come to a landing, holding his sword and spear in his hands, dark, angelic wings spread out behind him. A twisted mockery of the Crimson Mode that, years ago, had awed her with its power and beauty.

In one hand, it held the limp form of Impmon, broken and defeated.

With a restored eye, ChaosGallantmon glanced at her briefly, and the shaman priestess felt a chill run through her. In defiance of that fear, she staggered to her feet, summoning her four fox spirits to her side. The dark knight ignored her though, stalking forward in the direction of Takato and Jeri, dropping Impmon as he did so. Not even the fallen Guilmon held his interest any longer.

"No…" she whispered, and thrusting her arm out, she launched her four fox spirits at the black knight. They impacted ChaosGallantmon's shoulder, but the knight did not so much as budge from the attack. Instead he rose back up into the air, black light burning along the edges of its weapons. Hefting his spear, he took aim at Takato and Jeri, the latter of whom was helping Takato to get back to his feet. Even from here, Sakuyamon could see the pained look on the boy's face, no doubt having been struck hard by the feedback from WarGrowlmon being beat down by the dark warrior. She could see the terror on Jeri's face, seeing the death that was coming their way and having no way to protect Takato.

Within the darkness surrounding her digi-core, Rika felt her world shrink as seething anger rose up within her. Twice now she went up against this twisted version of her best friend, and twice it had beaten her down. In a flash, she was back to the memory from when she was twelve, watching Beelzemon beating Kyubimon, unable to help her. She watched as Leomon saved Kyubimon at the cost of his own life. Watched as Takato lost himself to rage and created Megidramon, and then watched as Beelzemon attempted to gun the boy down. She saw Jeri, sitting alone, staring at her now lifeless digivice, a sorrowful, broken expression on her face, and she couldn't do anything. Always… She _always_ felt helpless to affect change.

She refused to be helpless. She _refused_ to let those she cared about continue to be hurt.

_I will change our destiny…_

It began as a twinkle of light centered in her chest, but it grew rapidly from there, like a great rushing wind that blew her hair up about her, expanding beyond her data sphere and out into the darkness, chasing every shadow away. Outwardly, Sakuyamon's black bodysuit, gloves and the remnants of her armor dissolved, replaced by a priestly robe of white and red. Her fox mask rebuilt itself and a haraigushi wand appeared in her now bare hand. Light burned about her, giving her the appearance of a blazing sun, and ChaosGallantmon paused, turning toward her. Raising her staff, Sakuyamon slashed it down, the lightning bolt-shaped streamers rustling in the fiery nova that surrounded the shaman priestess.

 _"Diamond Realm Mandala!"_ she shouted, striking the ground and the light surrounding her burst outward, slamming into ChaosGallantmon, sending him careening through the air. Sakuyamon dashed forward, not letting up with her attack, slicing her wand over and over, sending more of the blazing light washing over the dark knight. Armor cracked as he landed, gold-eyes once more turning red. Sakuyamon gritted her teeth, glaring at him defiantly beneath her mask.

 _"You want to_ hurt _someone I care about?"_ she growled, the light burning all the more brightly as she slashed her wand again. _"You're going to go through_ me _first! Spirit Strike!"_

Thrusting her arm forward, she launched four fox spirits of fire, water, wind and thunder at her enemy, crackling with the energies of a will indomitable. Hefting his weapons, ChaosGallantmon charged forth, and the earth quaked as white met black in a thunderous explosion.


	22. Chapter 22

Terriermon kept a close eye on Cyberdramon as they made their way across the digital wasteland. So far, the cybernetic dragon kept to his course and made no further noise beyond the occasional growl as he tested the air, checking to make sure they were still on the right path. As for himself, Terriermon made a point to not speak, preferring to watch and try to work out the puzzle that was Ryo and Cyberdramon.

The fact that they – or rather Cyberdramon – had this ability to go back and forth between the worlds all along bothered him, if only because it was something that would have saved them all a great deal of heartache years ago, back when they – the digimon partners – had been made to return to the digital world. Instead, Cyberdramon had gone off on his own, leaving everyone else alone to their own devices while he did whatever it was he did in his spare time.

_What are we to these guys? Chopped liver? We fight together and we're supposed to trust each other, but these two don't act like we're even on the same team! I get that this is personal to them – whatever it is – but this is_ serious _stuff! I don't get what the big deal is!_

He kept his mouth shut however. Asking questions from Cyberdramon or even Ryo could be as bad as pulling teeth. That is to say, his own, with Cyberdramon as the dentist doing the pulling, and without any anesthetic.

_Great… I'm starting to sound like Takatomon,_ Terriermon frowned, imagining Cyberdramon approaching him with dentistry tools.

"What's the matter?" Henry asked as Terriermon shook his head.

"Nothing!"

"Can't be nothing, you've been quiet for a while now," Kenta observed.

"Why's everyone think that I can't sit still for even a second, huh?" Terriermon asked, huffing in offense. "And _don't_ say that it's because I never do, because you know that I can!"

"Only when you have something to distract you with," Henry said with a touch of humor in his voice. Terriermon scowled at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be worrying about where Cyberdramon is leading us?"

"Momentai," Henry said, frowning slightly. "I guess it's just been so quiet ever since we got here that I'm getting a bit…relaxed."

"Isn't it _too_ quiet?" Kenta asked, pointing around them. "I mean, the first time we were here, we were always tripping over _something._ Data streams… Violent digimon…"

"Weird boxes that shrank around us…"

"Huh?"

"One of our…mishaps when we were separated," Henry sighed. "But yeah, it does seem a bit quiet, even for the surface level of the digital world."

"Gee, it's only because we've gone for _how_ long without being attacked or transported somewhere?" Terriermon crossed his arms together as MarineAngemon flew up in front of them, peering ahead through the pink heart bubble that served as their transportation. "How long have we been here anyway?"

_"Pihpihpih!"_ MarineAngemon began to cry out in panic, spinning about and pointing toward the horizon with his tiny wings. All swung their eyes up in the direction indicated and found a black plume of smoke rising into the air. As if on cue, Cyberdramon let out a loud snarl and began to speed off. A flash of light later and soon Justimon was soaring skyward.

"Time to reset the clock," Terriermon nodded. "Looks like we've got our first clue about where Takato is. Maybe."

_I hope…_

"Terriermon…" began Henry, lifting his digivice. A triumphant smirk grew across the dog-bunny's face as he turned his black eyes up at his partner.

"It's about time!"

**###**

A bead of sweat crawled down Takato's face as he looked back and forth between his digivice and the battle before him. Both Sakuyamon and the dark Gallantmon had mode changed, and the air crackled with their power beating upon the air, straining as they pushed against one another. The question was however, which one would prove to be the stronger? Takato had his doubts. Sakuyamon was now unquestioningly more powerful than before, but would it be enough now that she had discarded her armor?

_That Gallantmon's new form looks an awful lot like a nasty version of Crimson Mode,_ he thought. _And if that's the case, Rika and Renamon are in a lot of trouble!_

He looked back down at his digivice, the holographic circle rotating above the screen still stuck attempting to identify the Gallantmon – this Gallantmon that spoke with _his_ voice – a job made all the harder by Guilmon still being down.

Takato's eyes flickered over to where his partner lay. The crimson dinosaur was out like a light, and not too far away from him lay Impmon, battered and bruised. He looked back at Sakuyamon, the shaman priestess attempting to bind the black knight in the amethyst of her attack, only for the warrior to shatter them.

_Guilmon and I can't biomerge to help…_ he thought, tightening his grip on his digivice. _But…we've still got to help them!_

His mind raced furiously as he tried to think of a way that they could pitch in… _any_ way.

_Before… Once before, Guilmon was able to digivolve to Mega without biomerging…_ His mind flashed as he thought back, remembering that dark day. Remembering the horror he had turned Guilmon into. The monster known as Megidramon…

Briefly, he wondered if the other Gallantmon was that monster, somehow brought to life from his despair and pain. In the end though, did it matter? It was just another enemy that needed to be stopped, and he was sorely lacking in options to help out.

_I…can't do that to him again… I…_ He looked over at Sakuyamon as she shot up into the air, narrowly avoiding a blast from the dark Gallantmon's spear. In spite of her newfound power, her attacks didn't appear to be very debilitating to the knight and he just kept on coming, like some kind of dreaded juggernaut. As he looked on, she sent a stream of cherry blossoms billowing out into the air, seemingly doing nothing save to bathe the knight in pink light.

_Maybe…Maybe if I can just…_

He was interrupted from his thoughts as the earth suddenly rocked violently beneath their feet from the shock of Gallantmon's attack, causing the ground beneath him to split open. His digivice went flying free from his hand, hitting the ground and finally displaying the identification of the dark knight, _Gallantmon: Chaos Mode._ Not that it would do him or anyone any good however as his foot slipped down into the chasm that continued to widen… Takato let out a shout, but before he could tumble into the darkness once more, a hand snatched hold of his shirt and with a powerful yank, the brunette found himself crashing into Jeri, the girl wrapping her arms around him tightly as she threw them to the side.

"J-Jeri!" he gasped, trying to draw away from her, but she continued to hold him tight to her.

"We have to go!" she said, her voice muffled against his shirt. "Takato, we can't stay here!"

"We can't just abandon them!"

"I'm _not…"_ Drawing back now, the brown-haired girl turned her amber-eyes up at him. They were full of conflict, wanting to keep him safe, but at the same time at a loss for how to do that without abandoning the others. Licking her lips, she glanced over at the open chasm. "T-The ground here… It's getting to unstable. We need a safer place!"

Slowly, carefully, she unlatched her arms from around him and the two teens climbed to their feet. Taking up his digivice, she handed it back to him, her lower lip quavering as another blast tore across the air. They both heard Sakuyamon curse and Takato turned to watch as the shaman danced out of the way of a burning blast, her robe smoldering and battered, confirming their worst fears. Her increase in power came at the cost of lower physical defense. If that hit had connected…

"There's nowhere that's going to be safe," Takato said aloud, gripping his digivice tightly. "This is…all my fault. If I hadn't been hurt… If I had found a way to unlock Crimson Mode back in that fight…"

"Takato…" Jeri interrupted, giving him a hard glare. _"Don't._ Don't say things like that! That… That _won't_ help you help Rika! It won't beat that thing!"

Takato struggled visibly as he watched Sakuyamon slash her wand about herself, sending waves of violet energy combined with her four fox spirits and a swirl of cherry blossoms crashing into the dark Gallantmon.

_She's… She's right. But… What can we do? What can I do? Guilmon's down and I'm just…me. Just a human. I can't do anything without Guilmon._

His hand all but crushed his digivice now, seething with fury at his helplessness. Finally, unable to contain himself he tore off toward the battle, much to Jeri's dismay.

_"Takato!_ What are you…?!"

"Stay there, Jeri! I'll be back!" he shouted back over his shoulder, tearing off toward the dark Gallantmon. "I promise!"

"Ah…!" Jeri balked, torn between the desire to chase after him and her fear of getting in the way of whatever it was that he had planned. _If_ he had a plan. The gods knew Takato tended to wing things at any opportunity that he failed to come up with a plan, especially when things were desperate.

And right now, things _were_ desperate. Even Sakuyamon, for all her newfound strength, was showing that she was barely keeping pace with their opponent. If she took a hit and didn't have a barrier up…

She looked over in the direction of Guilmon and Impmon. The two still not having recovered.

Jeri clenched her eyes shut, wishing, and not without a touch of irony, that Leomon were there.

**###**

Amidst a swirl of cherry blossoms, Sakuyamon swore under her breath as she wove herself between ChaosGallantmon's attacks, responding in kind with her own, but she knew now that she was fighting on borrowed time. Despite the damage she managed to deal to his armor, mainly in the form of paper-thin cracks, very little of what she was doing was actually harming him. By contrast, she herself felt the burns of his attacks from where they glanced off her, burning away at her robe and singeing the bare skin underneath. So far, only her speed kept her in the game as did her barriers when she had time to form them when not dodging, but sooner or later, unless something changed _drastically,_ she knew she was going to lose.

_Hate admitting that,_ Rika cursed, as they came to a landing on the desert floor. _But we're in serious trouble. If our plan doesn't work… Oh!_

Swinging her head up, she saw ChaosGallantmon flying toward her, broadsword arching toward her skull. Spreading her hands out, a barrier formed about her.

_"Crystal Sphere!"_ she shouted, and the black blade crushed down upon her shield, causing the ground to sink beneath her. With a grimace, she promptly expanded the barrier, but just as before, it did no appreciable effect.

_Even his wings are laughing at us!_ Rika thought irritably, remembering her earlier attempt at cutting them off as he did with Beelzemon. She _tsked,_ eyes glancing about at the swirling cherry blossoms, her mind rapidly making calculations.

_"Rika… We're almost ready,"_ came the voice of Renamon from the darkness surrounding the girl's azure barrier. Rika nodded.

_"Just a few more seconds… And a distraction. Shouldn't be too hard. This guy's been ignoring everything around him that's not Takato or fighting him."_

_"Perhaps…"_ replied Renamon. _"But as far as distractions go, that will prove to be more difficult than you think. He… Rika!"_

With a startled cry, Sakuyamon leapt back just as ChaosGallantmon swung his sword and sheered through her barrier. His spear shot forth and Sakuyamon twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding being skewered on its keen point. Snatching its handle in midair, she managed to bring it up just in time to block the dark knight's next attack as he dove at her. Sakuyamon grated her teeth, fighting to keep from being crushed to the ground as the massive, armored warrior bore down on her, eyes blazing with a deep, murderous red. Blue lightning crackled along the edges of the blades and thunder exploded, throwing two combatants, away from each other. Sakuyamon flipped backward and landed on her feet, still holding the spear, chest heaving as she panted heavily.

_Yeah…_ Rika conceded mentally. _Finding the time to sing the spell is going to be a little on the hard side…_

ChaosGallantmon broke through the smoke, wings blazing and sword aimed right at her. Sakuyamon adjusted her footing, bringing her spear to bear. No time now to dodge. Just defend and hope for the…

_"Biomerge activate!"_

The shout rang out clear upon the air, and ChaosGallantmon's foot dug a trench into the ground, halting his advance while his burning eyes whirled about to locate the source of the call. Sakuyamon, bewildered, did likewise, and both eyes fell upon one Takato Matsuki, standing a fair distance off, though close enough for them to hear him, digivice aimed directly at the dark knight.

_"What is he…?!"_ Rika found herself shouting out loud.

_"Rika!"_ came Renamon's own cry as ChaosGallantmon began to course correct. _"The spell, before he…!"_

It was just then that a salvo of missiles appeared in the sky.

They came shrieking down lightning quick, and upon seeing them ChaosGallantmon leapt backward. The missiles' engines adjusted themselves and kept on him, quickly outpacing him and slamming into him, detonating explosively and sending shrapnel flying about. Sakuyamon dashed toward Takato and summoned her barrier once more, deflecting the shards that drew too near to him for her comfort. She whirled about, lips of violet parting to scold him, to demand to know just what he was thinking, when she saw the look of horror on his face, red eyes looking beyond her. Once again, bringing the spear to bear, she steeled herself for the oncoming charge of ChaosGallantmon.

It didn't come.

_"Thunderclap!"_

Justimon was suddenly there, slamming his mechanical arm – now enlarged – into ChaosGallantmon's head and trapping it between its massive fingers. His attack went off just then, sending shockwaves crashing into the Chrome Digizoid armor and the black knight exploded with an azure light, throwing him off. More missiles came raining down, piling on attack after attack before, finally, the titanic MegaGargomon, a towering fortress warrior of emerald armor with huge cannons strapped to his wrists and giant missile launchers attached to his shoulders, came crashing down. Guided by his sensors, his fist smashed into the fiery light, and the ground _shattered_ beneath the blow.

Snatching hold of Takato by the waist, Sakuyamon dashed skyward in a bid for safety.

"Sorry if I freaked you out back there," Takato began, once he was sure that they were far enough away to be able to speak safely. "I just couldn't stand there and not…"

"Takato?"

The boy blinked and looked up at the priestess. There was a deadly seriousness to her voice that had caught his attention.

"Uh…yeah?"

"Shut up. I'm concentrating."

Before he could say or do anything else, the air about him began to reverberate as she began to sing. As always, Sakuyamon sang with a soft, melodious voice, and down below, the clouds of cherry blossoms she had been building up throughout the battle began to rise and move, reminding the teen of a flock of birds. Just in time, for as they looked on, the black cloud that had billowed up parted, and MegaGargomon was being forced backward, his fist caught squarely in ChaosGallantmon's hand, the Mega seemingly having not lost a bit of strength in spite of the mangled condition of his helm. Swinging his sword up, its azure edge bit into the cannon attached to MegaGargomon's wrist, and the towering Mega howled in pain as he snatched his hand back in a shower of sparks.

And all the while, Sakuyamon's singing ceased, and became a haiku. A poem that Takato knew was how her spells ended.

_"Thin petals of light. The last sliver of sunset. The night calls us home."_

The cherry blossoms moved suddenly, storming toward ChaosGallantmon and swirling about him. He beat at them with his blade in confusion, but the blossoms would not be done away with so easily, slipping in beneath his armor wherever they found a gap. His helm; the cracks in his armor… Before long, the dark knight howled in pain as a pink light suddenly erupted from within, and he crashed down to his knees, his sword falling from his grasp. Black fluid dripped out from the cracks in his armor, spilling out onto the ground. He dug deep trenches into the ground with his fingers, his screams turning into ragged gasps as deep within he felt the blossoms tearing into his body, their razor edges ripping out great gouges of data from him now that he was no longer protected. His chest heaved and he hacked up a great puddle of digital blood onto the ruined earth.

_"Jeez…"_ MegaGargomon said in Terriermon's voice as he watched the Mega writhe in pain. _"Talk about_ ruthless. _Henry? Next time I get it into my head to make fun of Takatomon? Do me a favor and remind me of why that's a bad idea."_

ChaosGallantmon barely heard – let alone understand – any of this. He turned his face up, Pain and wrath seething within his eyes as he met Sakuyamon's gaze. The armor around his jaw cracked and fell away with a few stray blossoms, revealing a row of fangs held within a dragon-like jaw.

On his chest, the hazard sign, barely visible against the dark metal, began to flash.

The knight giggled just then. An odd, childish giggle that quickly transformed into a snarl. Armor began to crack and splinter, and from it, emerged a plated, serpentine tail with a barbed, spear-point on its end. The angelic wings fell away as the armor continued to fall away, and tattered, crimson, dragon wings rose up in their place. The earth shook, and the air began to vibrate.

"Oh no…" Takato whispered as Sakuyamon tightened her grip around the boy instinctively. "He's digivolving into _Megidramon!"_

The form of the knight dissolved now as the creature erupted free from it, growing… _growing_ to immense proportions. It reared backward as Justimon staggered to his feet, his arm morphing, becoming more humanoid, save that the arm now sparked with energy. To the side, MegaGargomon raised his own arms and powered up the cannons. Missile tubes reloaded and opened.

Above, Sakuyamon hefted ChaosGallantmon's spear in her hand and took aim.

Megidramon let out an earth-shattering roar that tore across the landscape as all the Megas fired their attacks. There was a flash of light and then… _darkness._


	23. Chapter 23

" _Wake up…"_

Impmon cracked his eyes open at the deep, rumbling voice, and there, silhouetted against the glare of the digital representation of the Earth hanging in the sky, he saw a great shadow of a figure hanging over him. At first glance, the figure appeared to be towering and heavily muscular, their head surrounded by a flame-like mane of hair. He sat up with a start and a gasp, and then the shadow was gone, replaced instead by that of a thin girl, coughing loudly.

"Whaaa… Jeri? W-Where's…"

He paused as he spied the girl's rather disheveled, haggard appearance. She was covered with dust, and her normally neat hair sprawled all over the place. She looked tired, but concern radiated from her amber-colored eyes, and before he could say anything else, she promptly swept him up into her arms, crushing him close to her.

"Oh thank goodness!" she choked out. "For a second there, I thought… I thought…"

_Oh jeez…_ Impmon, feeling overcome with a sense of discomfort, as though he were dirtying her, began to push back against the girl, and soon enough disentangled himself from her grasp. She looked a bit hurt by this. Swallowing and finding it suddenly difficult to meet her gaze, he took a look around, taking stock of the situation around them.

"What's going on?" he asked, finding Guilmon's tail just off to Jeri's side. He appeared to be investigating something. Tilting his head to one side to get a better view, he blinked. There, hanging in the air, sat a great sphere of utter darkness, surrounded by a flock of digignomes as they fluttered and chirped about it.

"Okay… Seriously, what _is_ going on here?!" Impmon exclaimed, catching Guilmon's attention.

"I…I don't know," Jeri said in a hushed voice before coughing again. "I got knocked out when…when that other Gallantmon turned…turned into Megidramon…"

"Wait, it did whaaa…?" Impmon's mouth fell open at that. Of all things, that sounded like it _shouldn't_ have been able to happen.

"A lot happened while we were out," Guilmon said, trotting over to the two. "Takato and the others are inside that ball thing. So is the other Gallantmon."

"Can we help them?" Jeri asked, her hand going toward the pocket on her dress wherein lay her digivice.

"I think so," Guilmon bobbed his head up and down as she drew it out and looked at it. "Maybe if we find a way to get into the ball we can do something."

"Ever the optimist, huh, Pineapplehead?" Impmon said, climbing shakily to his feet. "Did you happen to see a door or anything we could use?"

"No," Guilmon admitted, looking downcast at that. "I even tried digging into it, but that didn't do anything. I asked Calumon to look up at the top and see if he could find a way in up there."

Looking up, Jeri spotted the tiny, cream-colored digimon as he flitted back and forth about the sphere.

"It looks like he's talking to the digignomes," she said, getting to her feet.

"That right?" Impmon asked sardonically. "Hoping they'll give him a clue?"

"One of them helped me and Takato get out of the cavern earlier, right before you found us," Guilmon supplied. "Maybe they can help."

Impmon crossed his arms together, not in the least bit sure about that notion. Back when they were sent back to the digital world following the final battle with the D-Reaper, that had been one of the first thing they did and all they got in return was a bunch of giggles and nonsensical chirps before flying off for parts unknown. Digignomes were, as always, impossible to communicate with and fickle.

"There's should be a way to help them," Jeri said, cupping her digivice in her hands. Turning it over, she pressed the center button, but as of yet nothing came and the screen remained unresponsive. Yet, no static covered it. The girl pressed her lips together at this. Once, when she had been held captive by the D-Reaper, she had activated some kind of light that destroyed her prison. Could she do something similar here?

With a determined expression on her face, she marched up toward the black orb, aiming her digivice at its dark surface. Impmon's eyes went wide at this, and he darted in front of her, arms outstretched.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, toots?"

"I'm going to get our friends back!" she replied sternly.

"Yeah? And how are you going to do that? Just by waving your digivice about like it's some kind of magic wand?"

"Huh?" Guilmon's ears went up. "It's not?"

"Use your noggin for something other than a battering ram, Pineapple Head," Impmon replied, planting his hands on his hips. "We didn't get _wished_ home, right? Now how about we keep ourselves grounded, hah? There's only one way to get in that'll work."

With a flash of light, Impmon vanished and in his place stood the towering figure of Beelzemon, black wings folded behind him and a cannon formed over one arm. Lifting it, he took aim. The jaws at the end of the cannon parted, and violet energy formed between them, crackling with electrical energy.

_"Corona Blaster!"_ he shouted before unleashing his attack on the sphere. The digignomes, seeing this, fluttered about in alarm, chirping loudly in a chorus, and a shell of light formed around the sphere. Beelzemon's attack struck the barrier before dispersing.

"Hey!" Beelzemon demanded heatedly, pointing his cannon skyward. "What's this all about? Why are you protecting that thing? Are you trying to keep us from reaching our friends?"

Beelzemon ground his fangs against one another, seething angrily. His claws twitched, eager now to snag hold of one of the digignomes and make an example of it for the others if they decided to intervene again. However, Jeri's hand upon his stopped him, and he looked down at her in confusion.

"Jeri?"

"I…I think they did this," she said, pointing to the black sphere. "Maybe to contain Megidramon."

"That's nuts! Jeri, why would they stick them in that thing with something like _Megidramon?"_

Jeri shook her head. "I don't know, but…why don't we try thinking of another way to get inside and rescue the others? It doesn't look like they're going to let us shoot our way in."

The digignomes flitted before them, eyeing them warily before one settled down in front of Jeri. Coming up from behind, Guilmon gave it a sniff before smiling and waving.

"Hiii!" he greeted. "You're the one from the caves! Thank you for helping me and Takato."

The digignome let out a giggle before returning to the air. This time, flying toward Jeri, it took hold of the hand holding her digivice and with another chirp, a holographic circle rose up from the screen. Jeri gasped as the circle expanded, revealing figures within a field of darkness, each glowing with colored light. She recognized them instantly as their friends.

"There they are!" she exclaimed, her voice tremoring as she took a step closer. The holo-circle, in response, backed away in time with her movement. Looking briefly puzzled, she looked down at her digivice and once more began to fiddle with the center button, hoping that, somehow, she could find a way to communicate with them.

"Oooh… That looks pretty…" came the voice of Calumon as he landed atop Jeri's head, his large, green eyes taking in the scene in front of them. "But where's the nasty knight one? Is he all that black stuff that's around them?"

Jeri blinked as Beelzemon and Guilmon drew closer.

"Hey, he's right," the Demon Lord commented. "The other Gallantmon… He ain't there."

"But I smell him like he _is_ there," Guilmon said, testing the air once more just to confirm that his nose wasn't playing tricks on him. "It's not an old scent either. He's right there with them. Maybe we just can't see him?"

Beelzemon turned toward the black sphere, his three eyes frowning slightly in thought. "Maybe that's why they don't want me shooting at that thing. Maybe those digignomes did something to him. But why like this? Why'd they trap our pals with him?"

"I don't think we'll be able to understand them right away," Jeri said with a slight shake of her head. "Unless… Calumon? Did they say anything to you about this?"

"Nope. They just laughed a lot and then they got all scared when Beelzemon tried to shoot the ball thingie. That was it."

"Helpful bunch," Beelzemon growled, dismissing his arm cannon. "Well, at least the good news is that there's no fighting going on. That'll give us something of a breather to figure things out."

Jeri tightened her grip on her digivice, swallowing nervously.

_But…how do we do that?_ she couldn't help but wonder helplessly, her eyes falling on two figures in particular, glowing with a brilliant sapphire blue and golden red, their hands clasped tightly around each other in the darkness.

**###**

Takato awoke alone in his room. Sitting up in his bed, he looked about him in confusion. Everything was…normal. Not at all what he expected to find when he opened his eyes again. Scratching the back of his head, he wracked his brain for memories. Something that would tell him what was going on and why there was such a huge gap in his recollections.

_Let's see… The last thing I remember was that other Gallantmon becoming Megidramon and then…here I am. But, that's not right. That sort of thing can't happen unless I was dreaming…again?_

He froze, his hand pausing in his scratching before coming about. He did a doubletake, checking his limbs and pinching himself to make sure that he absolutely was _not_ dreaming this time. His arm! His right arm was back!

_Or maybe I never lost it at all? Either way, this is great! Oh man, wait until I see the others! They'll…_ He gave a dry laugh. _Oh, who am I kidding? It was just a dream, right? They'll just think I'm nuts for making such a big deal about it. Rika especially. She'll call me a Gogglehead and…and…_

He paused, frowning. That line of thinking… It didn't _sound_ right. Not right at all. The memories from…whatever happened felt too real. The pain and everything else. The battles with the other Gallantmon and the Diaboromon… They felt far too _real_ to just be dismissed as though they were all phantoms of his overactive imagination.

Carefully, ever so carefully, he pinched his right arm once more and winced.

_It feels real,_ he thought to himself before shaking his head. _This is just too weird. Maybe I should talk to Henry or Rika. Maybe they can help make sense of it all._

That felt more right. If anything, he was certain that Rika bopping him lightly on the head and telling him to stop being such a Gogglehead would be the best way to wake him up. Climbing down from his bed, he glanced outside, nodding to himself as he spied the Shinjuku government building, right where he expected it to be. Running his hand along his desk, he drank in the sensation of the wood with his right hand's fingers and bit his lower lip. He wanted so very desperately for everything to have been just a dream and that this was the real deal. No Apocalymon killing innocent people. No scorched scar along the length of his home city. None of his friends were hurt. He didn't lose his arm.

_Those memories feel so real… Too real! I…couldn't have dreamt them all! All of it, including the times I went to the bathroom!_

He repressed a shudder.

_I don't normally have dreams like that unless I_ really _got to go, and even then, it's like an endless waterfall that hurts. But…I…didn't have that problem?_

An odd piece of evidence to base an argument on regarding the nature of the reality around him versus his own memories, but that didn't explain anything around him either, especially his arm.

Holding it up, he caressed it gently, noting the smoothness of the skin, and he blinked, his vision swimming as tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes before slipping free. He gave a light laugh before using his right hand to wipe his face.

"G-Get a grip, Matsuki," he whispered hoarsely to himself. He then gave another laugh as he realized his unexpected pun. He felt his tears on his hand, and wiped it against his shirt. It felt _so real!_ It felt so _good!_

Hurrying away from the window, he went over to his dresser and began to pull out clothes for the day. Quickly dressing himself, he slid open the door to his room, wondering if Guilmon was downstairs, helping with the morning chores, as he tended to do now since joining the household.

_Weird… I would have thought his getting up would have woken me up,_ he thought, heading downstairs. He noted that the bakery section sounded oddly… _quiet,_ even for morning. There was always something going on, and he didn't think they were closed down for anything. At least nothing that he could think of anyway.

That thought from before, that _this_ was the dream, came back to mind, feeling more solid than before. It was far, _far_ too quiet. He strained his ears for something… _anything,_ yet there came… _nothing._ Not even the sound of pumps from the plumbing system or any of the coolers.

"Mom? Dad?" he called out, stepping into the bakery section. "Guilmon?"

No answer greeted him as he looked about. Feeling his anxiety rise, he took a step toward the automatic doors leading to the outdoors. They didn't part at his approach, as though missing the spark of life that normally dwelt within.

_Probably locked,_ he thought, testing the door, only for it to draw back with some effort, like a dead thing. Stepping outside now, he felt overcome with an odd, unsettling feeling of _absence_ that set his skin prickling as the hairs on his arms stood up on end.

Even the streets outside were devoid of all signs of life, save the leavings of people and their buildings. Not even a sigh of the wind disturbed the silence of the city street.

**###**

Renamon stood atop the gate of Rika's home, her azure eyes, deep and penetrating as they took in the world around her. Her ear twitched as she heard the sounds of footsteps behind her, and she turned to find Rika approaching.

"Phones aren't working," she said. "Even my cellphone isn't picking up any signals. Have you found anything?"

The vulpine digimon leapt up into the air and summersaulted down in front of her partner before rising to her feet.

"Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be anyone around here," she said, her tail slashing through the air, expressing concern at their current predicament. "At least not within the immediate vicinity."

"No birds either," Rika noted, scowling at her yard. Save for winter, there was _always_ some bird within earshot, carving out its territory with a song or three. For them to be absent was…unsettling for her, as they were normally the first thing she heard upon waking up in the morning. "I'd say it's safe to say that we're not home again."

"The question is, why are we in a place such as this and how did we get here?"

"We can figure that out once we find the others," Rika said, checking her digivice. The compass function appeared on the screen, swinging around wildly, but so far not yet locking on any digimon. "We were all together when that Megidramon went off like a bomb so if we're here, they probably are too." She narrowed her eyes, returning her digivice to her belt. "I bet that Megidramon is somehow responsible for this."

"Perhaps," Renamon nodded. "Assuming that the others are in this world as well, it might be a good idea to check their homes first. Jeri and Ryo will take some time to get to however. If your house is any indication as to the rest of the world's condition…"

"No trains and no planes." Rika grated her teeth together. Setting Ryo aside, following her move, reaching Jeri was hard enough by train in the real world these days. "Well, it's not like we really need those things anymore. Let's hook up with Takato and Henry first and see where things go from there. We might as well check Guilmon's old place before going to the bakery since I'm sure Takato will head there first."

"Very well," Renamon agreed, holding out her hands. "Shall we then?"

Rika nodded and stepped into her partner's grasp. With that, they shot off, bounding from rooftop to rooftop in rapid succession.

**###**

Henry _finally_ reached the bottom floor, feeling a touch out of breath for having to take the stairs. Terriermon hopped down from off his shoulders and took a gander about them.

"I don't know what I was expecting, but I guess it's true. There's absolutely no one around!" Crossing his arms together, he frowned. "This is _really_ weird."

Henry nodded in agreement. _Really weird is right. The last time something like this happened, we were fighting Mephistomon. He built his own digital world thanks to his V-Pet virus taking over the network. Could Megidramon have done the same thing?_

"Pretty nice and sunny for an evil clone of Guilmon," Terriermon said, unknowingly voicing similar thoughts as his partner as they approached the exit and stepped outside. The sun basked down on them, and Henry felt his skin prickle at the heat, enjoying its soothing touch. It felt and smelled like Shinjuku at least, though it was dreadfully silent and devoid of all life save for himself and Terriermon.

_As far as we know,_ he thought, taking out his digivice. "All right. Let's see if the others are here. After that…"

He paused, catching sight of something from out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a young teen with crimson irises wearing a black hoodie, face set into a dark frown.

"Whoa," Terriermon said, spotting him as well. "Takato, _nice_ look, but why…?" He paused and scowled back at the teen. "Henry! That's not Takato!"

As if to confirm the digimon's observation, the teen became shrouded in shadow before vanishing into thin air, leaving the pair alone with a new set of worries.


	24. Chapter 24

_Those two shouldn't be here. They'll corrupt the program!_

The thought echoed through its mind as it hurried through the city, its senses briefly brushing against the young girl and her fox companion as they passed near each other. It felt itself reflexively cringe at the intensity it felt in the girl's spirit, but it pushed on ahead, moving all the more swiftly now so as to stay ahead of them. It needed to reach its target before they…

 _Oh no…_ Was all it thought before it felt the world lurch around it.

**###**

Renamon ground to a halt on the rooftop, her ears twitching violently alongside her tail. Alarmed, Rika shifted in her partner's grasp.

"Renamon! What…? Whoa!" Rika gave a startled cry at her partner suddenly whirling about, her blue eyes searching the city around them.

"Something…" she murmured. "I sense something out there. Perhaps the other Gallantmon."

The vulpine digimon felt Rika tense up at that, her own violet eyes joining hers in the search.

"Can you tell where?" she asked, digging out her digivice and activating the compass function. The arrow swung wildly along the screen, but still detected nothing.

"No," Renamon shook her head. "But if I were to hazard a guess…"

Rika tightened her grip around her digivice as her partner trailed off, not needing words to guess what had been left unsaid. The other Gallantmon had been targeting Takato from the very moment it arrived in the real world. Even in this bizarre, empty duplicate of their home city, it would likely do the same.

"Then let's g-!"

Rika let out another startled cry just then as the roof they stood upon suddenly gave away beneath their feet; _melting,_ as it appeared at first glance. Clutching hold of the girl tightly, Renamon flung herself forward, rolling off the ledge before it dissolved and tumbling to the street below. Immediately upon landing, she spun about and both partners watched as the building they had been standing on continued to fall apart as though it were melting butter, becoming a dark puddle that began to evaporate into shining particles of data. As they watched, a hole appeared where the building had been, and was rapidly beginning to expand from its epicenter.

"That…doesn't look like good news," Rika said, her eyes narrowing before she nudged her partner. "Come on. We'd better find Takato before…"

"It's not the only one."

"Ah!" Rika's eyes went wide as she followed the kitsune's gaze, and true to her observation, more buildings were coming apart in much the same manner.

"What…What is happening here?" she asked before shaking her head. "Never mind. We get out of here and we grab Takato and find the others. The sooner the better."

"You're not leaving already, _are_ you?"

The voice startled both human and digimon – a habit this world appeared to be picking up – but less by its unexpectedness and more by its familiarity. Zeroing in on the source, they found a figure approaching them from the ruins of one of the buildings. Red hair shone in the light of the sun, and a pair of cool violet eyes gazed at them from above a knowing smirk. Rika felt her lips draw back, not liking this development.

"Please tell me that's not me."

"It appears to be the case, I'm afraid," Renamon replied, beginning to back up. The girl was changing as she drew closer. She was already growing in length, becoming taller, and her hair swung down, becoming a set of twin foxlike tails of white that burned away the red. A silver staff materialized in a hand that was rapidly becoming covered by black leather, and before too long, violet body armor joined it.

Rika recognized the new figure as a darker shade of her and Renamon's Mega form, Kuzuhamon.

Without a further word, Renamon sprang away, hoping to gain as much distance as possible. Behind them, Kuzuhamon rose up on her heels and took flight after them.

"What's the hurry?" she crowed, slashing her staff to the side and unleashing a single, silver-fire fox at them. Renamon twisted in midair, narrowly dodging the beast. As she did so, she caught sight of the shaman's pale face, still smirking all the while. "Oh, let me guess. Gogglehead, right? Not sure why you bother with him. It's not like he's really your type after all."

Renamon somersaulted through the air and landed on the ground once more, followed swiftly by the shaman. The ground cracked beneath her heels and Renamon felt the vibration beneath her feet.

"But," Kuzuhamon continued mockingly, "I guess it's better than leaving him for Jeri to nab, right?"

Renamon heard Rika's sharp intake of breath at that, and she adjusted her seating. She could feel the tension just beneath her skin, a barely noticeable tremor.

"I don't know who you are," Rika seethed, "but I've got something important to take care of and you're in the way right now. So why don't you take a hike or something and take your nutty head games with you?"

Kuzuhamon rose up, becoming as a rigid spear in the road, declaring her silent intent to bar their way.

"I think it's more fun this way. Besides, if you really do want to lose him, this is the best excuse you could have." She spun her staff in her hand before assuming a fighting stance. "Don't worry. You can always tell Jeri you did your best but your best wasn't good enough. You can step away."

Her smirk widened ever so slightly, her eyes, hidden beneath her violet fox mask, meeting that of Rika's. "Unless you really _do_ intend to _steal_ him from her. In that case, don't let me stop you."

"Okay, time to end this."

Frustration and annoyance practically dripping from her words, Rika lifted her digivice skyward. _"Biomerge activate!"_ she shouted.

Only, this time, there was no bright light enveloping her and her partner. Rika gaped, taken aback by this unexpected occurrence. She didn't have long to wonder about it however, as soon enough, Kuzuhamon gave her something else to worry about as she slammed her staff to the ground, sending an expanding barrier of crackling energy that struck the pair, sending them flying backward with a cry.

**###**

The empty streets of Shinjuku left Takato feeling anxious, but he continued on, making his way towards the park where Guilmon's hut lay. He hoped that the others would be there. _If_ they were with him in this empty city. A part of them hoped that they weren't. That they were somewhere safe and sound. Preferably in the real world.

 _I have to check and see, just in case,_ he thought to himself, grimacing at how difficult this world was making that for him, with the lack of operational phones. _And once I've figured out if they are or aren't, then I can start working on figuring out wherever this place is._

He marveled at how accurate everything was to what he remembered from back home while simultaneously it struck him odd that the digital world would even _have_ such a place like this.

_Did something happen when that Megidramon went off the way it did? Like, maybe create a weird other dimension or something and we all got sucked into it? Man, I wish Henry were here. He'd probably be able to figure this mess out…_

_"Hey! Takatomon!"_

Takato jarred to a halt, his eyes whirling about in surprise at the voice. Sure enough, he found Henry with Terriermon sitting astride his shoulder, waving him down with his ear.

_Speak of the devil…_

"Henry! Terriermon!" The boy waved at them back with his regrown arm, causing both of his friends to draw up short, eyes wide with stunned amazement. "Man, am I glad to see you guys! I… Uh… What's up?"

"Takato…" Henry began, only for Terriermon to finish for him.

"You've sprouted a new leaf there, Takatomon."

"Huh?" Blinking, Takato looked back at the arm he had been using. The arm that, up until he woke up, had been missing since the battle with Armageddamon. "Oh, right." He laughed at how quickly he had gotten used to its presence. "Yeah, funny story behind that…"

"Is this actually going to be a joke?" Terriermon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm not sure if I'm supposed to laugh right now."

Takato chuckled at that, rubbing the back of his head while Henry looked back and forth between the two, flummoxed by the situation. Seeing his partner's expression, Terriermon folded his tiny arms together and huffed.

"What? I can be tactful every now and them."

"First time for everything," Henry said, a grin forming on his face in spite of all his misgivings about their current situation. "Takato, your arm doesn't hurt or anything, does it?"

"No. It's really weird, but kind of cool though."

"Define _weird,"_ Terriermon said, hopping over to Takato and lifting up his new arm with his ears. "Huh. It doesn't _feel_ like it's weird or anything."

"Well, I mean like weird in that I just woke up with it. I mean, arms don't just appear from out of nowhere, you know?"

Now it was Henry's turn to approach, and cautiously, he, with a questioning look at Takato, he raised a hand indicatively. Smiling, Takato nodded, and Henry took hold of his arm.

"It…feels real," he said, giving the teen's skin a soft squeeze. He looked up at Takato worriedly. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No," the brown-haired boy grinned with a shake of his head. "In fact, I feel…"

" _Broken!"_

Whirling about at the voice, the trio spied an all too familiar figure standing at the far end of the path, a dark, angry glare burning in his crimson eyes.

"Is that…?" began Takato, only for Terriermon and Henry to both nod.

"Yeah, looks just like you," the long-eared rabbit digimon nodded. "We both saw him earlier. Looks like it wasn't just a shared hallucination."

"Terriermon…" Henry shook his head before focusing on the approaching boy. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"It's broken. It's _all_ broken," the other Takato grated, still stalking towards them. His fur starting to rise up, Terriermon hopped down to the ground, taking position between the three humans.

"Sounds like you're one cup of flour short of a rising bread roll," the long-eared digimon chided. "Why don't you tell us what's up so we can work on fixing whatever's broken?"

"You're not supposed to be here!" the other Takato answered angrily, stabbing a finger in Henry's direction. "You and the _other two!_ Just…Just him! I…"

The other Takato doubled over suddenly, clutching at his head with a cry of pain.

"There's…too much of your…darkness!" he moaned through clenched teeth.

As though his words had been a signal, a shadow fell on the two Tamers and Terriermon, and the earth shook _violently_ beneath their feet, sending them all sprawling to the ground. Looking up, they saw a massive, towering figure, decked out in black armor that glinted in the light of day, missile tubes and laser cannons aiming in their direction.

"Oh…come… _on!"_ Terriermon exclaimed, his mouth falling open. "Henry, there's _got_ to be a rule about having that much overkill pointed right at us!"

Henry, however, could only gape in utter astonishment. Not even a single "Terriermon" escaped his lips over his partner's seeming ability to never recognize the level of danger he was in at any given time. Takato, for his part however, found words.

"Um… I vote for running…" he began, only for his heart to sink as the laser cannons began to gleam with gathering energy. Deep down, he knew they had no time. "…or not," he finished fatally.

_It can't end like this. Guilmon… Guilmon!_

_"Biomerge activate!"_ Henry shouted, thrusting his hand skyward, only for nothing to happen.

Nothing that is, save for the fury of the dark MegaGargomon's attack raining down on them.

**###**

Coughing, Rika struggled to get back to her feet. Her body hurt, though whether from the impact of the attack that hit her or from hard landing, she didn't know. Not that it made any difference really. She looked over at Renamon, who was presently on her knees, shaking her head, trying to clear it.

 _We couldn't biomerge,_ she thought hazily, a shadow falling over her. _Why… Why couldn't we…?_

"Guess you're just not good enough after all, huh?"

Craning her head, she blinked away a strand of red hair that fell over her eyes. Kuzuhamon towered over her, a fist planted on her hip and a smirk standing prominently on her pale face.

"Makes me wonder why you made that silly little promise at all. What was the point? You couldn't protect him. You couldn't keep him out of trouble. Did you just need an excuse to be close to him? Because you couldn't tell him what you _really_ felt? What you _really_ wanted from him?"

"What's your malfunction?" Rika snarled, staggering up with an effort, fists balled up, ready to strike. The Kuzuhamon tilted her head to one side.

"Don't ask me. It's _your_ problem. Not mine. I'm just here simulating what's in your little dark heart."

Rika felt herself stiffen at that. "What? My heart…?"

"That's what this is…" came the voice of Renamon, hoarse and pained. Turning, Rika saw Renamon climbing to her feet. "Whoever it was that put us in this place… It's all for a reason, isn't it?"

Kuzuhamon smirked and lifted her silver staff.

"Everything happens for a reason. I have _my_ reason, which only exists because you and Henry decided to stick your nose in things." She gave a dark laugh all of a sudden. "And so do the Digignomes."

Rika snorted, things starting to fall into place for her now. This world. This version of Kuzuhamon… Even ChaosGallantmon. They were a product of the digital world.

_This digimon is just simulating what's wrong with me? Which means that the other Gallantmon is…Takato._

She thought of how the dark knight savagely went after Takato, and her heart flashed angrily as it hurt for him.

_Talk about beating yourself up over something. And now I'm doing it to myself._

"What?" she demanded heatedly. "They couldn't mail us a postcard or something?"

Kuzuhamon laughed at that. "You know that's not how they communicate. Silly Tamer. You meeting Renamon; Takato creating Guilmon; Henry summoning Terriermon from a game… That's how they say 'hello.'"

"Their stupid messages could use some work," Rika snapped angrily as Renamon drew up behind her, images of ChaosGallantmon's devastating attack in the city flashing through her mind. "All right. So, we've got some issues. Are you going to keep beating us over the head with them? Or are you going to get out of our way?"

Kuzuhamon knelt down, her grip on her staff tightening.

"I'm just like you, you know. I know which one you're going to find more fun."

"This is _not_ some stupid ga-!" Rika shouted, but Kuzuhamon was already lunging toward them, power gathering around her staff. A thousand thoughts and feelings flew through Rika's mind just then. They did _not_ have the time for this.

 _I…_ promised! The thought burst across her mind, and with it firmly held there, the light of evolution washed over her and Renamon, and once more they were merged as Sakuyamon. Her bronze staff flashed and she struck the ground, an energy barrier sparking as it formed before expanding, clashing with Kuzuhamon's own power. The two struggled, straining against one another. Kuzuhamon laughed.

"I thought you didn't have time for this!" the dark shaman shouted. "Come on! You want to keep putting this off?"

Grating her teeth, Sakuyamon poured more power into her barrier.

 _Takato…_ she thought, her heart beating painfully in her chest. _Jeri…_ Her teeth ground against each other angrily. _Why…do things have to be so…stupidly…complicated?!_

With a loud cry, her barrier exploded outward as her armor again transformed, taking on her Miko appearance once more. Kuzuhamon gave a shout of surprise as she was flung backward, data breaking away from her body. Collapsing to the ground, she shakily lifted her head, continuing to smirk at her.

"Nice one," she congratulated while Sakuyamon's chest heaved from the power she had thrown at her. "Now why are you still standing there? Don't you have someplace to be? Someone to see?"

Rika _tsked_ from within her data sphere, and with nothing more to be said, she launched herself into the air, ignoring Kuzuhamon's dissolving body and the void of blackness that opened up beneath. As the blackness swallowed her, she gave a light laugh.

_"Until we meet again…"_

**###**

_"Rika…"_

_"What is it, Renamon?"_

Sakuyamon's hair blew in the wind as she flew toward Shinjuku park. Inwardly, Rika felt as though her thoughts were distant, like the world that lay below her. Drawing them closer to herself, she extended her senses into the darkness about her data sphere, sensing Renamon's worry.

_"About what Kuzuhamon said…"_

_"Is this_ really _the best time for this?"_ the girl snapped, her cheeks blooming suddenly with embarrassment and shame that, outwardly, was also shared on Sakuyamon's face in the form of a tiny blush.

 _"Perhaps not,"_ Renamon replied. _"Though I should point out that there usually isn't a 'best time' where you've been concerned."_

Sakuyamon's cheeks darkened, reflecting Rika's increased agitated stated and her hand tightened about her haraigushi wand. Within her data sphere, Rika's lips parted, preparing to protest before pausing, considering Renamon's words.

 _"Point made,"_ she conceded. _"Look, I know I'm not the best at this sort of thing and I'll probably always be a little prickly about it, but we_ really _should save it for later."_

She glanced over her shoulder, watching as a portion of the street she left behind became swallowed up by the expanding well of darkness. Shuddering, she returned her attention to the approaching park.

"Especially _now."_

 _"I understand,"_ Renamon replied, nodding Sakuyamon's head outwardly. _"But I do believe it would be best if you spoke to…"_

Renamon's words suddenly jerked to a halt as both she and Rika gasped in surprise. Before their unified gaze, the massive, armored form of a black-clad MegaGargomon suddenly broke free from the forest of Shinjuku Park. Stomping forward, it took aim with its weapons and fired.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been an idea that’s been kicking around in the back of my mind for quite some months now. With the exception of injuries digital life forms pick up in battles, humans tend to be pretty well protected from serious harm, often getting no more than scuffed or dirt despite how serious the combat can get. So, I got to thinking about exploring what would happen when a Tamer is seriously injured and how they would react to it. So…yeah. Let’s see where this goes.  
> Until next chapter.  
> -Crazyeight


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